A Florida man pleaded guilty to distributing at least $16.7 million of adulterated HIV drugs that were ultimately dispensed to unsuspecting patients throughout the country. According to court documents, Armando Herrera, 43, of Miami, and his co-conspirators established companies in Florida, Texas, Washington, and California that they used to sell and distribute adulterated prescription drugs, primarily HIV medications, to wholesale pharmaceutical suppliers. Herrera and his co-conspirators created false documentation to make it appear as though the drugs were acquired legitimately when, in fact, they were not. The pharmaceutical suppliers then sold the drugs to pharmacies, which dispensed the adulterated prescription drugs to unwitting patients. Herrera pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to introduce adulterated and misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 21 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in person. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
