News release from the office of the U. S. Attorney
A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on January 14, 2010, TED S. THALMANN, age 46, owner and corporate secretary of THE MEDICINE SHOPPE OF EDWARDSVILLE, an Illinois corporation, located in Edwardsville, Illinois,Madison County, pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of misbranding of a drug. The CORPORATION pled guilty to a felony charge of misbranding of a drug.
The defendants are currently scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m., on May 14, 2010, at which time THALMANN faces a maximum sentence of one year imprisonment, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $100,000. The CORPORATION faces a maximum sentence of five years of probation and a fine of $500,000.
The charging documents indicate that prescription drugs were repackaged from the manufacturer’s original stock bottle and placed into blister packs labeled with incorrect expiration dates and supplied to area nursing homes from March 2007 through March 2008.
The cases were investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; and the Illinois State Police. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liam Coonan.
If you suspect or know of an individual or company that is not complying with healthcare laws or public aid programs, you may report this activity to the local office of the U.S.Department of Health Human Services, Office of Inspector General or call 1-800-447-8477.
