Abingdon, VIRGINIA – Sitesh Bansi Patel, 33, of Irvine, Calif., the vice president of SK Labs, has been sentenced to eight months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to defraud the United States Food and Drug Administration by misbranding synthetic steroids.
Patel was also ordered to forfeit $77,000 and pay a fine of $50,000. He was convicted following a five-day jury trial on charges including conspiracy to defraud the FDA, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and three counts of mail fraud.
Patel, who holds a Pharm.D degree and is a licensed pharmacist, used SK Labs to produce H-Drol and M-Drol from 2008 to 2009. These products, containing prohormones classified by the DEA as anabolic steroids, were labeled as ‘dietary supplements’ despite being drugs.
After initially stopping production in 2009, Patel orchestrated the manufacturing of H-Drol and M-Drol again starting in December 2010. He received shipments of raw materials, labels, and money at his home and arranged for the finished product to be shipped to Virginia.
The investigation, Operation Grasshopper, resulted in the forfeiture of over $3.5 million and felony convictions for seven individuals. Xinli ‘Eric’ Li, a Chinese national who imported the raw powder used, pleaded guilty and was deported after serving five months in prison.
Patel’s sentencing follows the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations’ probe and significant assistance from the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ramseyer prosecuted the case for the United States.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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