A North Georgia couple who made millions selling illegally imported male enhancement drugs from China have pleaded guilty to multiple charges and will lose their U.S. citizenship as a result.
Husband and wife Irfanali and Shiba Momin of Dahlonega were convicted Wednesday on charges of naturalization fraud, conspiring to illegally import misbranded drugs, receiving misbranded drugs that had moved in interstate commerce and trafficking counterfeit goods, U.S. Attorney BJay Pak said.
“The arrest of the couple essentially stopped the flow of illegal products throughout the Southeast that were sold to hundreds of stores and ultimately customers whose health was threatened by using them,” FBI Special Agent Chris Hacker said.
According to the Department of Justice, between 2014 and 2018, the Momins imported and sold male enhancement products from China that contained the active ingredients found in both Viagra and Cialis, sildenafil and tadalafil, respectively. Those pharmaceutical ingredients are only available in the U.S. with a prescription. The pills were marketed under a wide variety of names such as Black Ant King, Bull, Rhino 7, Jack Rabbit, Pro Power Max and more, Pak said.
To avoid import restrictions, the Momins' suppliers mislabeled boxes containing the illegal pills, Pak said. The Momins admitted to selling between $550,00 and $1.5 million in illegal pharmaceutical products over the course of the conspiracy. They also sold a variety of other counterfeit goods from their warehouse in Dalton, including fake watches, headphones and rolling papers, Pak said.
The investigation into the illegal import activities also led to the discovery that they committed naturalization fraud by providing inaccurate information in the process of becoming U.S. citizens. Irfanali Momin falsely claimed that he had never been married before when he had actually been married to two women at the same time, Pak said. Shiba Momin applied for U.S. citizenship under a false name, Pak said.
The couple will be sentenced Jan. 7, 2021, by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones. As a result of their guilty plea to naturalization fraud, the judge will sign an order that revokes their citizenship after they receive their sentences.
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