NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that DAVID RODRIGUEZ, age 49, a resident of Miami, Florida, was sentenced on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of medical products and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
RODRIGUEZ was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment with credit for time served, supervised release for a term of 3 years, and a $200.00 special assessment. RODRIGUEZ was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $203,000.
According to court documents, beginning sometime prior to December 2012, RODRIGUEZ and others conspired to use Marea Distributors and Logistics, LLC, in Louisiana and Marea Distributors, LLC, in Florida to re-sell fraudulently diverted pharmaceuticals. Working together, the defendants would collect dispensed drugs of known and unknown origin, counterfeit drugs, expired drugs, and drugs not authorized for resale and then fraudulently reintroduce them into the pre-retail, wholesale market for eventual sale under false pretenses to pharmacies and end users. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants created false invoices and documents of origin that were transmitted by wire to their customers.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Food and Drug Administration, and the Miami Dade Police Department, in investigating this matter. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Theodore R. Carter, III, and David Haller.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
