Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The owner of a North Providence computer store has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges that he sold illegal generic Viagra and pirated movies in 2008.

U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha said Thursday that Ming Yan, 59, of Providence, who operates Automation Systems, 1270 Mineral Spring Ave, North Providence, pleaded guilty on Tuesday before Chief U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi..

He faced three charges, one of causing the misbranding of the prescription drug sildenafil citrate -- marketed as the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra -- and two of copyright infringement, one for copying and selling movies on DVD and the other for installing software on computers without paying the Microsoft Corporation license fee.

During the plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary E. Rogers said that on March 12, 2008, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Food and Drug Administration conducted a controlled delivery of a package from India. After signing for the package, Rogers said, Yan admitted it was his and that he had ordered it from an Internet Web site identifying itself as Canadian. It contained 372 sildenafil citrate pills without FDA approved labeling, and Yan had no prescription for the pills.

Yan at first said the pills were for personal use but later admitted that he sold them to customers and that he had previously ordered pills from the same Web site.

During a search of Yan's store, agents noticed copies of copyright-protected movies and equipment used to make multiple copies of DVDs, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Yan initially said he copied the movies for himself but later said he gave them to customers who bought computers or sold them for a dollar each. From the store and from Yan's home, agents seized 1,165 pirated movie DVDs and DVD copying equipment, Rogers said.

Subsequent interviews of some of Yan's computer customers determined that computers he sold contained software that Yan had installed without paying the license fee. Agents also found a letter from the Microsoft Corporation dated in 2003, warning Automation Systems that it was infringing on Microsoft's copyrights.

The maximum penalty for misbranding a drug is one year in prison and a $100,000 fine; the maximum for copyright infringement is three years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Yan is free on unsecured bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2010.

 Tags  Automation Systems copyright infringement Ming Yan Viagra

Comments

Ed said:

Tons of counterfeit Viagra pills are being shipped from India and other 3rd world countries to US consumers everyday.
So, how about employing some Viagra-sniffing dogs in ports?

Link | November 13, 2009 9:35 AM
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