SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging the Claiborne Parish Constable with selling and misbranding illegal supplements online and in stores.
On Wednesday Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that 72-year-old William Earl Maddox, of Haynesville, has been charged with two counts of mail fraud, three counts of misbranding of a drug with intent to defraud or deceive, and seven counts of wire fraud.
According to the indictment, from Jan. 1, 2015, and continuing until Dec. 31, 2018, Maddox sold supplements in capsules in stores and on eBay and websites that he operated, advertising them to be all-natural herbal supplements to treat impotence.
The indictment alleges that Maddox obtained green capsules in unlabeled blister packs in the mail from foreign countries, including China, which contained sildenafil, the active ingredient in the prescription drug Viagra; tadalafil, the active ingredient in the prescription drug Cialis; and testosterone propinionate, an anabolic steroid, and a Schedule III controlled dangerous substance.
It is alleged that Maddox had the capsules repackaged and advertised them to contain all natural ingredients but the labeling did not reveal that the capsules contained sildenafil, tadalifil, or testosterone propinionate.
The indictment further alleges that when customers purchased these products, payment was made to the PayPal business account for Middle Marketing, LLC, which was Maddox’s company.
Maddox would then ship the capsules to customers via the U.S. Postal Service and transfer the funds generated from the sale of the products from the PayPal account to his Middle Marketing bank account.
If convicted, Maddox faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, on the mail and wire fraud counts and up to 3 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, on the misbranding of a drug with intent to defraud or deceive counts in the indictment.
