The DOJ just announced that John F. Cochcroft, of South Carolina, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison after previously pleading guilty to one count of introduction of a new drug into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud and mislead and one count of manufacturing and possessing with the intent to distribute and distributing anabolic steroids.
Cochcroft entered a plea agreement on May 25, 2022, and he admitted to marketing products containing osterine as “dietary supplements” that increase muscle mass. Cochcroft generally marketed his products to the bodybuilding and fitness communities. Osterine is a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) that the FDA linked to liver toxicity and increased risk of heart attack. The government also seized products from Cochcroft containing anabolic steroids, a Schedule III controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act, linked to life-threatening side effects. According to court documents, Cochcroft never sought FDA approval and took affirmative steps to defraud the government and consumers. It was specifically alleged that Cochcroft worked with Chinese suppliers to mislabel drug products and used multiple fictious business names and addresses.
In addition to being sentenced to one year and one day in prison, Cochcroft will pay a forfeiture money judgment of $200,000. After Cochcraft’s sentence was announced, U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh noted commented that “Cochcroft and his company placed public health at risk by unlawfully distributing unapproved drugs that have been linked to life-threatening conditions, [and] marketing and distributing unapproved drugs is not only dangerous, but a federal crime.”
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