Southern California Family Accused of Selling Counterfeit Medication Via Craigslist and Online Advertising
Four members of the same Los Angeles area family have been indicted on counterfeit goods trafficking and mail fraud conspiracy charges for their sale of unapproved ED medications. Learn how drug counterfeiters are targeting Americans at Interchange 2014, September 18th in Washington D.C.
Four members of the Gitmed family, John Gitmed, his ex-wife Holly, their daughter Felicia, and a nephew Anthony Pollino Jr., have all been indicted in Federal Court on charges that they conspired to import and sell counterfeit versions of various ED medications via the Internet and various local outlets in the L.A. area, reports the FBI.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the Gitmeds allegedly took photographs of genuine versions of the medications in question, and sent those photographs to a Chinese manufacturer asking that the medication be reproduced to look like the real thing.
According to their indictment, the Gitmeds are alleged to have operated a company called the “California Confidence Company” offering “genuine” versions of various branded ED medications such as Viagra and Cialis for sale, knowing that these medications were in fact counterfeit.
The indictment also alleges that the Gitmeds used the social media photo sharing site Instagram to post photographs of the “genuine” medication for sale.
According to the FBI, the defendants in this case face a maximum penalty of 10 years and a $2 million fine if convicted on all charges.
Counterfeiters exploit weak global enforcement regimes to target unsuspecting Americans. Join us September 18th at Interchange 2014 to learn what the global counterfeit drug situation is from policy and law enforcement experts. Tickets are going fast, so register today!