A Florida man and his company arrested on suspicion of dietary supplements-related fraud
A Florida man has been arrested for fraud linked to the distribution of various illegal products labeled as dietary supplements. The arrested man did not have much difficulty with the incident and pleaded guilty, admitting to being actively involved in the fraud scheme.
Anthony Ventrella, 43, from the Boynton Beach area, joined several people accused of fraud, according to court records. These people were also defrauding the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with various frauds.
The Ventech company, controlled by Anthony Ventrella, was involved in the same scam. Anthony Ventrella admitted to helping produce products labeled as legal dietary supplements through a number of companies, including Ventech. The Florida man was also in charge of distributing these products to consumers.
Court records indicated that products labeled as dietary supplements were actually drugs and substances that were illegal to distribute. Anthony Ventrella confessed to his and other scammers' activities one by one. The information he provided included many things, including importing raw materials from China using forged documents.
As part of the plea agreement with the court, Ventech has agreed to hand over the production equipment used during the said fraud scheme. "Dietary supplements containing unapproved drugs can be dangerous to consumers," said Brian M. Boynton, Attorney General of the Justice Department's Civil Division.
Attorney General Brian M. Boynton said, "The Justice Department will track down and prosecute as necessary those who fraudulently conceal the true nature of the distributed products for profit." and then concluded his speech. Another statement came from the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) Miami Field Office.
Special Agent Justin C. Fielder said in a statement, "Products that are knowingly mislabeled as dietary supplements are a serious risk to the health of U.S. consumers. We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who sell products in violation of the rules and endanger public health."
Anthony Ventrella appeared before United States District Judge William P. Dimitroleas of the Southern District of Florida. At the trial, he was found guilty of electronic fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Anthony Ventrella is expected to have his sentence confirmed on November 29 and serve a maximum of five years in prison.
As a result of Anthony Ventrella's confessions, six other defendants were charged with electronically defrauding the FDA, distributing new unapproved drugs, and fraudulently distributing controlled substances. Two of the defendants pleaded guilty. The remaining four defendants will be tried on October 12.
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