A man from Florida pleaded guilty today for distributing contaminated HIV medications worth over $16.7 million to unsuspecting patients nationwide.
Armando Herrera, a 43-year-old Miami resident, and his partners set up companies in different states, including Florida, Texas, Washington, and California.
They used these companies to sell impure prescription drugs, mainly HIV medications, to wholesale pharmaceutical suppliers.
To make it appear legal, they created fake paperwork. These suppliers then sold these tainted drugs to pharmacies, unknowingly providing them to patients.
Herrera admitted to his involvement in a conspiracy to introduce tainted and falsely labeled medications into the national market.
He will be sentenced on December 21, facing a possible prison term of up to five years.
The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge, considering factors like U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant laws.
The Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, under the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division, fights health care fraud.
Since its launch in March 2007, it has charged over 5,000 defendants in 25 federal districts. These defendants submitted fraudulent claims exceeding $24 billion to federal health care programs and private insurers.
Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services collaborate with the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services to hold healthcare providers accountable for fraudulent schemes.
