A California man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for selling the illegal depressant Etizolam over the internet, following a federal court ruling in Boston on May 30, 2025. The case involved the death of a customer who ingested Etizolam purchased from the defendant's website.
Paul Z. Lamberty, aged 52 and residing in Folsom, California, received his sentence from U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV. In addition to his prison term, Lamberty will undergo three years of supervised release. He had pleaded guilty in August 2024 to charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and introducing misbranded drugs with intent to defraud and mislead.
Lamberty operated two websites, Encern.com and Ohmod.com, which he used to distribute Etizolam across the United States, including Massachusetts. Transactions were exclusively conducted via cryptocurrency, with shipments sent through U.S. Priority Mail. Encern.com lacked corporate records in California and did not list a physical business address.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved Etizolam for medical use in the United States; hence it cannot be legally sold or prescribed there. Despite this restriction, Lamberty imported Etizolam from suppliers in China and sold it under false labels indicating "For Research Purposes Only" and "Not for Human Consumption." An analysis of financial records revealed that Lamberty and an accomplice generated over $550,000 in gross sales through their online operations during the conspiracy period.
Court documents detail that a Massachusetts customer died after purchasing and consuming Etizolam from Lamberty's site in 2020. The drug is classified as a thienodiazepine—a class related to benzodiazepines known for central nervous system depression effects—and carries risks such as dependency and potential fatal overdose when combined with other depressants.
In July 2023, the DEA temporarily designated Etizolam as a Schedule I controlled substance.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Fernando P. McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Boston Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared C. Dolan and Lauren A. Graber prosecuted the case.
