United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Mauricio Sarmiento, 35, of Ecuador, was sentenced to one year of non-reporting probation, a $500 fine, and a $100 special assessment by United States District Court Judge John M. Gallagher for introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. On November 20, 2024, Sarmiento pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with that offense. Since in or about 2022, Sarmiento, an Ecuadorian physician, made regular trips to the United States to provide medical care and prescription drugs in return for payment. Sarmiento did so even though he was not licensed to practice medicine or prescribe drugs in the United States. He also caused some of the drugs he dispensed while in the United States to be shipped from Ecuador. On September 10, 2024, law enforcement encountered Sarmiento and seized misbranded drugs and medical equipment, including intravenous medications and a centrifuge used to provide plasma therapy.
