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>Feds crack down on Internet pharmacy operators >BY JOHN DORSCHNER >jdorschner@herald.com > >Alleging that he led an ongoing criminal enterprise >that raked in more than $125 million, a federal grand >jury in Virginia Wednesday released an indictment >against Vincent Chhabra, 32, a South Florida kingpin >in the Internet pharmacy business, and nine others. > >The 108-count indictment focuses on charges that >Chhabra and the others used many websites -- including >get-it-on-.com -- to illegally sell controlled >substances, mostly diet pills, without requiring that >customers first be physically examined by doctors. > >Also indicted were Chhabra's sister, Sabina S. >Faruqui, 30; an uncle, Sunil K. Sethi, 48; a Virginia >pharmacist and physicians from Ohio, Missouri, >Kentucky and Virginia. > >''This case is about a dangerous new spin on an old >problem,'' said Paul J. McNulty, U.S. Attorney for the >Eastern District of Virginia, in a prepared statement. >``Drug trafficking in cyberspace is just as harmful . >. . as drug trafficking on street corners. The advent >of the Internet does not mean doctors and pharmacists >can bypass rules.'' > >Prosecutors alleged that no one at the companies >bothered to check the accuracy of online >questionnaires that customers filled out in order to >get their drugs. Many Internet users think of >Chhabra's companies, as well as many others, as major >originators of spam that clog their e-mail inboxes. > >One of Chhabra's attorneys, Sean Ellsworth, and a >publicist, Cori Zywotow Rice, did not immediately >return calls seeking comment. > >If convicted, Chhabra faces a mandatory 20 years for >the criminal enterprise and up to 20 years for money >laundering. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture >of 15 luxury cars -- including five Mercedes-Benzes, >four BMWs and an Aston Martin -- and 72 pieces of >jewelry. > >Chhabra's main company was USA Prescriptions, which >ran the websites, first from a storefront in Davie and >later from a Weston office building. He also was >co-owner of RxNetwork, a Davie pharmacy that was >raided by agents of the Drug Enforcement >Administration in October. > >The DEA yanked RxNetwork's controlled substance >license because it had filled prescriptions for >customers based solely on their filling out online >questionnaires. Three weeks later, Ellsworth announced >that the pharmacy was closing because, though the >websites offered several dozen other drugs, the >pharmacy couldn't make money without the controlled >substances. > >''That just shows that the controlled substances are >the vast majority of their business,'' said Joe >Kilmer, DEA spokesman. > >The indictment alleges that Chhabra and the others >started their online drug selling in Ohio in 1998. >After the state of Ohio issued a search warrant for >their premises in 1999, the group set up companies in >Virginia ``in an attempt to hide their operation.'' > >The companies used pharmacies in Alabama, Florida and >Louisiana to fill the prescriptions, according to the >indictment. > >To confuse state authorities, the websites had doctors >write prescriptions for customers located in states >other than those the physicians resided in. > >The others indicted were Daniel L. Thompson, 48, a >Ohio physician who also ran websites; William >Thompson, a Missouri physician; Laurence L. Cockerille >Jr., 71, an Ohio doctor; Arturo L. Portales, 44, of >Kentucky; and Russell A. Johnson, 50, of Virginia. > >Also named were Daniel M. Varalli, 54, a pharmacist >and co-owner of Rx Direct, a Virginia pharmacy used to >distribute controlled substances; and James A. Trovato >Jr., 38, who operated drug-selling websites from Ohio.

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