oldandwise
Enthusiast
Reged: 02/03/04
Posts: 220
Loc: ky
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Posted on Thu, Sep. 02, 2004
HEALTHCARE
Online-pharmacy pioneer pleads guilty
BY JOHN DORSCHNER
In what may mark a major turning point in online drug sales, Vincent Chhabra, 33, a Broward pioneer in the Web pharmacy business, has pleaded guilty in Virginia federal court and will be sentenced to 33 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Chhabra also faces the possibility of paying millions in fines and forfeitures at his formal sentencing, scheduled for December.
In court proceedings late Tuesday afternoon in Alexandria, Va., his sister and business colleague, Sabina S. Faruqui, 30, also pleaded guilty and will receive a year of probation.
Five others, including a pharmacist and a doctor, have already pleaded guilty in the case, and another four are scheduled to go on trial next week.
Chhabra was originally charged with 108 counts relating to his Davie pharmacy, RxNetwork, and websites that provided diet pills to customers based solely on them filing out an online questionnaire. Prosecutors accused him of gaining more than $125 million from his business.
''I hope this serves as a warning to all who think of the Internet as a good place to do bad business,'' said Paul J. McNulty, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, in a prepared statement.
The Chhabra case is one of less than a half-dozen in which federal prosecutors have moved against drug-selling websites, which have numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands, in the United States.
Carmen Catizone, executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, said that because of the U.S. authorities cracking down, ``many of the illegal websites are moving offshore. Some have affiliates in the United States, but authorities are moving against U.S. sites. But websites in Belize and Bangladesh are growing by leaps and bounds.''
Such sites are ''almost impossible'' for U.S. authorities to stop, Catizone said.
In a telephone interview with The Herald, McNulty said, ``It would be nice to think that this case has deterred some operators, and the timing suggests there may be some connection, but it is hard to confirm that type of thing.''
Chhabra always maintained he believed he was doing nothing illegal.
One of his attorneys, Sean Ellsworth, said Wednesday, ``Mr. Chhabra was facing a 78-count indictment, which included a charge of continuing criminal enterprise, which by itself carried a 20-year minimum mandatory. The plea deal he accepted was 33 months and was linked to his sister's plea, in which she received probation. The other important factor was the government's assurance that his parents would not be prosecuted.''
As part of the plea bargain, Chhabra may be asked to forfeit 15 luxury vehicles, including six Mercedes; 72 pieces of jewelry; the funds in 60 bank accounts scattered around the world, including Ireland, India, Hong Kong, St. Kitts, the Bahamas; and property, including a $2 million office building in Weston.
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© 2004 Herald.com and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miami.com
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They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety" Ben Franklin
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excellence
Stranger
Reged: 08/19/04
Posts: 19
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Quote:
to forfeit 15 luxury vehicles, including six Mercedes; 72 pieces of jewelry; the funds in 60 bank accounts scattered around the world, including Ireland, India, Hong Kong, St. Kitts, the Bahamas; and property, including a $2 million office building in Weston.
All these fancy things being bought on money earned via the sale of diet pills?! Gimme a break!
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LocoSenorita
Stranger
Reged: 09/04/04
Posts: 2
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You would think someone would have a lower profile when making gobs of $$$, but the greed always seems to catch up with them. Wonder what he told his neighbors he did for a living? LOL
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ikestormu11
Enthusiast
Reged: 06/02/04
Posts: 252
Loc: D.C. area
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I guess sometimes rich people DO go to prison. He will have to do all 33 months. The federal prison system doesn't have parole. When he gets out he'll still be a millionaire. I wonder if he thinks it was all worth it?
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t_oshan2003
Board Addict
Reged: 10/17/03
Posts: 378
Loc: East
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33 months in a easy club fed, then to get out to the regular millionaire lifestyle he had. Should be no problem.
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Billyl
Board Addict
Reged: 06/14/02
Posts: 389
Loc: NorthEast
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He'll get out a millionaire? I guess you didn't cmprehend this part of his plea agreement?
As part of the plea bargain, Chhabra may be asked to forfeit 15 luxury vehicles, including six Mercedes; 72 pieces of jewelry; the funds in 60 bank accounts scattered around the world, including Ireland, India, Hong Kong, St. Kitts, the Bahamas; and property, including a $2 million office building in Weston.
Take care. Billylll
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therhino
Enthusiast
Reged: 06/06/04
Posts: 231
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yea but a guy with 60 bank accounts must have at least 100...
so I bet he retires in the camens.
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spellcheckers are like wearing ties, I just say no :-)
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TLM2
Newbie
Reged: 07/16/04
Posts: 37
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Billy is right. This guy will definitely NOT get out of jail as a millionaire. He has lost everything. If you read more about this guy, we wasn't the most honest of people.
A guy like him taints all OPS
TLM2
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Billyl
Board Addict
Reged: 06/14/02
Posts: 389
Loc: NorthEast
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Quote: yea but a guy with 60 bank accounts must have at least 100...
so I bet he retires in the camens.
If it makes you feel better to believe the unbelievable you have a right. I don't know why people almost idiolise people like this. Ok, keep the Urban legend going. Lets see Pablo Escabar and Gen. Noriaga are living the lifestyles of the rich and famous now as well.
Take care. Billylll
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excellence
Stranger
Reged: 08/19/04
Posts: 19
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I think the guy is a drug dealer (and I mean "drug" dealer!)
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t_oshan2003
Board Addict
Reged: 10/17/03
Posts: 378
Loc: East
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sure he got a ton seized but he must have secret places he has cash. Anyone with that lifestyle, and only having to do 33 months will most likely get out and not have to worry about money. I do agree, that he retire's in the cam's.
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TLM2
Newbie
Reged: 07/16/04
Posts: 37
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Quote:
You would think someone would have a lower profile when making gobs of $$$, but the greed always seems to catch up with them. Wonder what he told his neighbors he did for a living? LOL
I imagine he told his neighbors the truth. That he was the owner and operator of online pharmacies. I don't believe that he thought what he was doing was illegal. This guy was one of the first that the government has really gone after criminally.
The government and medical associations and whoever may lose money if we use OPs, are probably fed up that Americans have the nerve to take their own health care into their hands. The American people cannot possibly be smart enough to bypass all of the hoops they are expected to jump through to get the medication they need.
I can tell you that we had no idea this was considered illegal. My husband's medical license has been temporarily supended for working for OPs pending the outcome of the federal government's investigation. My husband consulted two health care attorneys before agreeing to work for OPs. Both told him that they were not illegal. Both attorneys have written statements to that effect on behalf of my husband, and both have agreed to testify for him if this goes to trial.
We NEVER made it a secret from other doctors, our friends, family, etc. that my husband was working for OPs. It wasn't until 13 DEA agents showed up at our door with a search warrant for our home and a notice that my husband's medical and DEA licenses were suspended immediately, that we had any idea the government considered this illegal. The reason they gave for immediately suspending my husbands license: Because my husband was an immediate threat to public safety. Please!!! My husband is a very good person and doctor. He would never intentionally break the law. These are the underhanded tactics that the DEA and federal government are using right now to shut OPs down.
If my husband was a real threat, why not just send someone to let us know that he should stop working for OPs because they were illegal? A year before they converged upon our home in May, the DEA claims they made an undercover buy from an OP in which the prescription had my husband's name on it.
Why wait a year before taking this kind of drastic measurement? Why not just contact him immediately? It seems odd that after a year, they would consider him an immediate threat to public safety.
I know this Chhabra guy had lots of allegations of other wrong doings against him. I don't know what all he did. I think the fact that he was a pioneer of the OPs that we all have used, pi#sed the DEA off.
Any other business developer that has made money off the Internet has not had to hide his wealth. I'm not saying this Chhabra is a great guy. I don't know. I don't believe when he started this business he did it with criminal intent. Maybe he did. I can tell you for certain that my husband DID NOT have any criminal intent.
My husband never prescribed anything other than diet pills that were controlled substances. He prescribed Viagra, Propecia, blood pressure meds, etc. He was contacted numerous times by sites that wanted him to prescribe things like Vicodan, sleeping pills, Xanax etc. He always refused. In his medical opinion, these were not drugs he felt comfortable prescribing online.
Diet pills are schedule IV medications. Yes, pharmacies can make a fortune just off diet pills. There are corrupt OPs just like there are corrupt DEA agents. In every profession there is corruption. That does not mean that every person in the profession is corrupt. 
TLM2
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t_oshan2003
Board Addict
Reged: 10/17/03
Posts: 378
Loc: East
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TLM2, thats a crazy story! I hope you guys are ok. May I ask, did the DEA rip appart you're house in the search or were they at least easy on it ?
So whats the next step for you guys ? They aren't going to try and prosecute you're husband are they ?
Good Luck!
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TLM2
Newbie
Reged: 07/16/04
Posts: 37
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Hi,
I can't say the DEA tore our house apart. I did find clothes hanging our of our drawers. They confiscated our computers. I don't even really like the thoughts of my private emails, and Microsoft Word documents being read by others. It isn't really even about that. It is the feeling of being totally violated personally. The whole house just felt dirty after they left. It would be the feeling anyone would get if someone went through all of their personal things, ie. - my underwear drawer. It is just a creepy feeling.
I don't know if my husband will be charged with a crime. He is a target of a federal investigation. He has not been indicted, which means he hasn't been charged with a crime.
He can't petition to get his medical license back while we wait and see what happens, because anything he says in front of the medical board could be used against him in a possible criminal trial.
We just have to wait and see. We are past the inital shock. It took us almost three months to even be able to function to get through each day. Our attorney told us that is the way they want us - anxious, desparate, and scared. If we our in that state, we are more vulnerable. We have mentally got beyond being scared stiff every day. We just have to live our lives, and try to find ways of surviving without having an income until this is resolved. We have been finding ways. I thank God for showing us ways.
TLM2
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mommiegirl
Stranger
Reged: 11/10/04
Posts: 11
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Quote:
It wasn't until 13 DEA agents showed up at our door with a search warrant for our home and a notice that my husband's medical and DEA licenses were suspended immediately, that we had any idea the government considered this illegal.
This type of business is definitely considered illegal by the DEA. Here it is the banner off the DEA site urging anyone to report Internet pharmacies:
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