Internet Pharmacy

Mother, son sentenced to prison for illegal Web pharmacy
Friday, September 5, 2003 Posted: 12:15 PM EDT (1615 GMT)

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BIG BUSINESS
At a congressional hearing, a congressman said the Miami international mail center receives up to 7 million packages of drugs a year, a flow that has increased sharply in recent years as a growing number of people order pharmaceuticals by mail and online.

MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- A restaurateur and her son were sentenced to federal prison Thursday for running an unlicensed Internet pharmacy that filled orders nationally from a bedroom in her suburban home.

Betty Gorman was sentenced to three years and one month and her son James Gorman was sentenced to two years for their convictions on more than 120 counts.

A jury found them guilty as charged in April for dispensing drugs without prescriptions on $1.3 million in sales generated by two Internet sites, younglifestyle.com and genericlifestyle.com.

Business closed
The business was shut down in May 2001 after less than a year. Medications included the antibiotic Cipro and an assortment of thyroid drugs and painkillers.

While awaiting sentencing, the Gormans were charged with launching four new illegal Internet pharmacies after the first investigation began. They had been free on bail but were jailed after their second arrests.

Betty Gorman organized the business, which repackaged wholesale prescriptions in her Pembroke Pines home. A U.S. drug supplier was given a fake license indicating she was a broker in the Cayman Islands, where she used to live.

Web designer Kenneth Dodd was convicted with the Gormans and faces sentencing September 19.

Seal of approval
The Gormans' son and brother, John, who manages the family's restaurant, is on probation for misdemeanor convictions in the first case. He admitted shipping packages of the prescription drugs.

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a brochure to tell consumers what to look for when shopping for medication online. Legitimate Internet pharmacies display a seal indicating they meet state licensing requirements.

An FDA study in 2000 found up to 400 Internet pharmacies -- evenly split between domestic and foreign locations.