A Florida man has been sentenced for importing and selling ‘fake’ Viagra online that he purchased from China.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia D. Barksdale has sentenced Timothy Terrance DeJoris, 42, Ponte Vedra, to six months probation and a $2,500 fine for importing from China a mislabeled erectile dysfunction drug and distributing it online and in the Jacksonville area.
DeJoris had previously administratively forfeited $50,000 in proceeds from the offense. DeJoris had pleaded guilty on November 4, 2021.
According to the plea agreement, on June 18, 2019, agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted two large packages that had been shipped from China. Each package was found to contain a barrel of blue capsules. An invoice for one of the barrels claimed that the capsules contained “Shiitake Mushroom Extract.”
The packages were addressed to “Dr. Seltzer, LLC, Tim DeJoris” at an address in Ponte Vedra. The capsules were tested and found to contain sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, and other prescription medications used to treat erectile dysfunction in men.
A search of a CPB database reflected that a similar shipment, described in the same way, had been delivered to DeJoris from the same supplier in China on June 11, 2019.
During the course of the investigation, investigators discovered a website with the address of “hardonhelper.com” that sold “Dr. Seltzer’s Hard-On Helper,” which was claimed to be a “100% Natural Male Enhancement Dietary Supplement.” Investigators also discovered that, in addition to being sold on that website, the capsules were also being sold on Amazon and eBay.
The price on all three websites was the same, one capsule for $10.99, six capsules for $52.99, eight capsules for $61.99, and twelve capsules for $79.99. The product was also being sold at Adam and Eve adult stores in the Jacksonville area.
Records obtained from Amazon reflected that, for the period of January 1 through August 6, 2019, there were 8,043 sales of the capsules for a total of $453,413.07.
When investigators questioned DeJoris about the shipments, he said that he had paid $4,000 for each shipment of 50,000 capsules. Investigators seized over 25,000 capsules from DeJoris and his business partner.
“The importation of illegal, dangerous and/or mislabeled drugs is not only a crime, but it is a danger to the communities that we live in. This criminal thought he could circumvent our nation’s laws by doing just that,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “Thanks to the law enforcement partnerships between HSI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Tri-County Narcotics Task Force, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, this criminal was identified, investigated, and prosecuted, making our communities safer for everyone.”
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