David Jess Miller has been sentenced to 72 months in prison for his involvement in a range of crimes, including racketeering, mail and wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy against the United States. The charges were related to a vast racketeering enterprise that fraudulently distributed hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of diverted prescription drugs, including tampered medications that posed a health risk. Miller’s company, Minnesota Independent Cooperative (MIC), was also convicted in this case.
The evidence showed that Miller’s criminal enterprise targeted brand-name prescription drugs for conditions such as HIV, hepatitis C, and mental disorders, deceiving customers about the nature and sources of the drugs they sold. Miller and MIC purchased diverted prescription drugs from unlicensed suppliers and concealed the true sources of these drugs.
The court’s verdict found Miller guilty of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, mail fraud, and conspiracy related to unlicensed wholesale drug distribution and making false statements to the FDA.
In addition to the prison term, Miller was ordered to pay a fine of $250,000, serve three years of supervised release, and pay a special assessment of $1,400. MIC, which is now defunct, was also ordered to pay a special assessment of $4,500.
The case was prosecuted with the assistance of various law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. All 38 defendants charged in the case have either been convicted or have resolved their cases, with six yet to be sentenced.