Scottsdale, Arizona Man Sentenced to Prison for Selling Illegally Imported and Misbranded Rx Drugs to Western PA Consumers

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, has been sentenced in federal court to 32 months' imprisonment and two years of supervised release on his conviction of mail fraud, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Senior United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Keith Komar, age 62.

According to information presented to the court, Komar participated in a fraud scheme that involved the illegal importation of prescription drugs and the illegal sale of those drugs to consumers in the United States. The importation and sale of prescription medication is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Federal laws and regulations require that certain drugs, particularly dangerous drugs, contain certain warnings and only be administered under a doctor's care pursuant to a doctor's prescription. A drug is considered "misbranded" if, for example, the drug is sold without a prescription, if it fails to include the approved warnings, if the drug was not approved by the FDA, or if the drug is manufactured in a facility not approved by the FDA.

Through various websites, Komar advertised for sale to consumers in the United States various dangerous drugs that were sold without a prescription, were not administrated under the care of a doctor, did not provide the appropriate warnings, and were not manufactured in facilities approved by the FDA. The website included a numerous misrepresentations about the drugs and the companies involved in the fraud to make it falsely appear that the sale of these drugs was legitimate and safe. Some of these misbranded drugs were sent through the Postal Service to consumers, including consumers in the Western District of Pennsylvania, directly from India as arranged by Komar.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Brady commended the Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania State Police and United States Postal Inspection Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Komar.