A dietary supplement salesman has been sentenced for conspiring to distribute anabolic steroids, according to a notice from the U.S. Justice Department. The salesman, James Boccuzzi, director of sales for the company, led sales for a sports and dietary supplement company called Blackstone Labs LLC, that was based in Boca Raton, Florida. A jury convicted him in December 2021 of conspiracy to defraud the FDA and conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids. He was sentenced to 51 months by U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas of the Southern District of Florida. Boccuzzi and co-conspirators conspired to defraud the FDA and to illegally manufacture and distribute anabolic steroids that were controlled substances under the Designed Anabolic Steroid Control Act. Evidence at trail … [Read more...]
Justice Department Targets Deceptive Marketing of COVID 19 Herbal Teas
The U.S. Justice Department is targeting deceptive marketing practices of herbal tea products that are advertised as COVID 19 treatments. B4B Earth Tea LLC allegedly violated the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act, the FTC Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) according to the complaint. A complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The defendants allegedly advertised that their herbal tea product, Earth Tea, could prevent or treat COVID 19, without competent or reliable scientific evidence to support these claims. In addition, the defendants allegedly made deceptive statements about a scientific study to support their unproven claims. The complaint also alleges that Earth Tea is an unapproved new drug that the defendants … [Read more...]
Justice Department Seeks to End Online Sales of Miracle Mineral Solution
The United States District court for the Southern District of Florida has entered a temporary injunction halting the online sale of Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS), that the government calls an "unapproved, unproven, and potentially dangerous coronavirus treatment product." The complaint alleges that the defendants, Genesis II Church of Health and Healing and its principals, Mark Grenon, Joseph Grenon, Jordan Grenon, and Jonathan Grenon, sell and distribute a product that claims without proof that it will cure diseases such as COVID-19, multiple sclerosis, brain cancer, Alzheimer's, AIDS, and autism, among others. The defendants sell and distribute this product. MMS contains sodium chlorite that, when combined with the activator included with the product or with citrus juices, … [Read more...]
Owner of New England Meat Packing Admits Fabricating E. coli Results
According to the Justice Department, Memet Beqiri, also known as Matt Beqiri, pleaded guilty today in a Hartford federal court to falsifying E. coli test results for his business, New England Meat Packing, LLC. That company is located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Mr. Beqiri waived his right to be indicted. According to the USDA's approved Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan for New England Meat Packing, the company must perform one generic E. coli carcass test for every 300 animals slaughtered. They must also periodically collect ground beef samples for E. coli testing. Between November 3, 2016 and September 9, 2017, Beqiri authorized the preparation and submission in the company's Lab Sample Report binder 36 documents relating to 52 separate carcass … [Read more...]
Justice Department Files Complaint Against Food Distributors Euroline Foods and Royal Seafood Baza
The United States Department of Justice of the Eastern District of New York has filed a civil complaint in a federal court in Brooklyn, seeking to permanently enjoin Euroline Foods, LLC, and Royal Seafood Baza, Inc., for violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The complaint was filed at the request of the FDA. The suit alleges that those facilities processed and distributed ready-t0-eat fish and fishery products, vegetable salads, and cheese products in a facility that was contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The complaint states that the defendants "failed to put in place adequate measures to reduce the risk of health hazards such as L. monocytogenes, Clostridium botulinum, and scombrotoxin." United States Attorney Donoghue said in a statement, "Food processors … [Read more...]
Food Poisoning Bulletin Breaks Story: Dole Knew About Listeria
On March 10, 2016, Food Poisoning Bulletin broke the story that Dole knew about Listeria contamination in its plant long before this year's deadly listeriosis outbreak that was linked to its salad products. Carla Gillespie submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Food and Drug Administration in February 2016, asking for reports of inspections at Dole facilities, particularly the company's plant in Springfield, Ohio. We were the first news outlet to do so. Now the Justice Department is opening an investigation into that outbreak and how Dole handled it. In the documents we received, the company found Listeria in the plant in early 2014 and "infrequently" in the years before that. In fact, in 2014 Dole recalled many of its bagged salads for possible Listeria monocytogenes … [Read more...]
Roos Foods Pleads Guilty to Charges Stemming from Listeria Outbreak
Roos Foods Inc. has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) in case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice stemming from a deadly 2014 Listeria outbreak. The company's owners Ana A. Roos and Virginia Mejia, have also agreed to a proposed consent decree of permanent injunction. The outbreak sickened eight people in two states. One of them died. “We must work to ensure that the food we buy is free from dangerous bacteria and is safe to eat,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work aggressively to combat and deter conduct leading to the distribution of adulterated food to consumers.” Listeria … [Read more...]
