KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An Overland Park, Kansas, man was indicted Wednesday on one count of conspiracy and one count of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce for hawking bogus erectile dysfunction pills.
According to a federal indictment handed down by U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister’s office, Rick Shepard, 59, is accused of “importing and selling misbranded pharmaceutical-grade erectile dysfunction drugs from China that were marketed as herbal remedies for men.”
Shepard sold the dietary supplements wholesale under the brand name “Euphoric” to adult novelty stores in multiple states, according to the indictment.
The supplements were marketed as “all-natural, herbal supplements for male enhancement” without revealing that the supplements contained the same active ingredients as Viagra (sildenafil) and Cialis (tadalafil), which are FDA-approved prescription drugs and only can be administered under a doctor’s care.
Shepard imported the drugs from a Chinese supplier to private shipping and mailing stores, which then forwarded them to Kansas labeled as “healthy food samples,” the indictment said.
If convicted, Shepard faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy count and up to three years in prison and another $250,000 fine on the misbranding count.
