Tampa, FL - U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Naresh Kumar Chintala (33, India) to 30 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to dispense prescription drugs without a prescription. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 23, 2015.
According to court documents, Chintala worked for an India-based company that marketed drugs, both prescription and otherwise, to customers in the United States by means of telemarketing. The representations made by the marketers about these drugs claimed that the drugs were made in the United States and FDA-approved. In reality, the drugs were neither. In some instances, the drugs sold through this marketing scheme were prescription medications, but the company required no medical prescription for the sale. The medications ordered by the customers were shipped to them from India, in parcels bearing false labels as to the nature of their contents. Chintala traveled to the United States in late 2014 on company business and was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida.
This case was investigated by the United States Food and Drug Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jay L. Hoffer and Mark Bini.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
