A Delaware man faces five years in federal prison for a COVID-19 drug fraud scheme that has roped in pharmacies in Etowah and Maryville, authorities said.
Jose Torres, 58, of Shelbyville, Delaware, pleaded guilty last week to one count of conspiracy to participate in the unlicensed wholesale distribution of prescription drugs. in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Torres faces up to five years in prison, $250,000 in fines and three years of supervised release and will be sentenced March 29, according to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
“This advocacy agreement represents the United States Attorney’s Office’s commitment to prosecuting those who have exploited the fears of others to take undue advantage during the COVID-19 pandemic,” US attorney Francis M. Hamilton III said.
Torres conspired to buy drugs that were in short supply and sell them to wholesale distributors for a hefty profit, according to the charges filed against him. Torres partnered with a California-based company that recruited independent pharmacies to join a network called the Pipe-Line Program.
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