A dietary supplement executive has been sentenced to prison in a Texas federal court for his role in fraudulently seeing popular workout supplements, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Former S.K. Laboratories Vice President Sitesh Patel of Irvine, California, was sentenced to 41 months imprisonment and one year of supervised release by U.S. District Juge Sam A. Lindsay.
According to documents that were filed intros case, Patel “Patel played a key role in developing and manufacturing the popular workout and weight loss supplements known as Jack3d and OxyElite Pro, which were distributed by Dallas-based USPlabs.” Patel and several co-defendants admitted that they imported substances “with false and misleading labeling to avoid law enforcement and regulatory agency attention.” Patel also pleaded guilt to the introduction of misbranded food into interstate commerce.
OxyElite Pro was recalled in 2013 in the wake of and investigation by the FDA into whether the supplement caused liver injuries. And indictment that was returned by a Dallas federal grand jury in 2015 against Patel and four others associated with USPlabs alleged that the defendants sold some of their products without determining if they were safe to use.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division said in a statement, “Consumers should not have to question whether the dietary supplements they find on store shelves will cause them physical harm. This case demonstrates the department’s commitment to working with our agency partners to prosecute individuals and companies that defraud the public and place consumers at risk.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah for the Northern District of Texas. said in a statement, “Dietary supplement manufacturers must not be allowed to mislead the public about untested ingredients mixed into their products. We are proud to hold this defendant accountable for lying to the public about ingredients that had the potential to cause them harm.”
And Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Pearson of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, Dallas Field Office stated, “The defendant knowingly profited by deceiving American consumers, causing harm to them by concealing the true ingredients of a product intended to improve the very health it damaged. Working to prosecute those people and institutions who endanger consumers is something the IRS-CI is dedicated to continuing to pursue with our partners in law enforcement.”
