Jul.01, 2010, 11:01 AM
BEAUMONT, Texas - From U.S. Attorney's Office - A 49-year-old New York man has been found guilty by a jury in a wide-scale internet pharmacy drug conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales.
David Allen Vogel was convicted on June 30, 2010, of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and two counts of money laundering following an eight day trial before U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone. The jury also awarded the government a $24,743,000 money judgment in addition to the $4,376,471.39 which had already been seized from six separate bank accounts.
According to information presented in court, from August 2000 to November 2007, Vogel, the owner and operator of Madison Pain Clinic, and his co-conspirators operated an Internet-based pharmacy through which they distributed millions of hydrocodone pills and other controlled substances without a valid prescription. Vogel used proceeds from the illegal enterprise to purchase a multi-million condominium in Trump Towers in New York City and a $36,000 rare coin. Vogel was indicted on Dec. 10, 2008 and a superseding indictment was filed on Aug. 13, 2009, charging Vogel and 3 others with federal drug and money laundering violations.
Co-defendants Jonathan C. Vogel and Carrie L. Demers pleaded guilty on Dec. 22, 2009, and are awaiting sentencing. Joseph A. Geraci remains a fugitive. Additionally, Dr. David Hoblit of Dallas and Ghassan Naddaf of Houston each pleaded guilty to an Information charging them with drug conspiracy. Hoblit was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $435,000. Naddaf was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison and a $1.8 million forfeiture.
David Vogel faces up to five years in federal prison on the drug conspiracy charge, up to 20 years in federal prison on the money laundering conspiracy charge, and up to 10 years for each of the money laundering charges. A sentencing date has not been set.
This case was investigated by the DEA and the IRS and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stevan Buys, Maureen Smith and Kevin Collins.