-
Ryan Fields and Lisa Mahan via Facebook
United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery announced at the end of August that a federal grand jury in New Haven handed up an indictment charging 49-year-old Ryan Fields and 53-year-old Lisa Mahan of Port Neches with felony offenses for illegally selling misbranded and unapproved prescription drugs. The couple, which arrived to Southeast Texas by way of Glastonbury, Connecticut, was arrested Aug. 23 and appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas the same day, according to information from the Department of Justice.
The sealed indictments against Fields and Mahan were revealed as the duo were placed in handcuffs and trotted before a federal judge. As alleged in the indictment, from September 2021 to June 2023, Fields and Mahan operated two websites, pinnedaminos.com and projectaminos.com, as well as a private Facebook group called Pinned Aminos, through which they illegally sold and distributed to customers throughout the U.S. misbranded prescription drugs.
“They did not require customers to provide a valid prescription, and some of the drugs they sold and distributed were unapproved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human consumption,” the federal allegation details. “The drugs they sold also included drugs they illegally imported from foreign manufacturers.”
The indictment further alleges that, to avoid detection and mislead the FDA, the pinnedaminos.com website had a disclaimer that falsely stated that the products for sale were “intended for laboratory and research use only,” and “not intended for human ingestion.” In addition, the labeling on the drugs sold and delivered to customers allegedly falsely stated that the drugs were “research compounds” and/or “not for human consumption.”
“Contrary to these representations, Fields and Mahan knew and intended that the drugs they sold were for human use, and through emails and posts on the Pinned Aminos Facebook group, they provided customers with information on the health benefits of the drugs they sold and directions on dosage,” a federal announcement of the indictment explained.
The indictment alleges that Fields and Mahan unlawfully shipped over 10,000 parcels to customers throughout the country and collected more than $1.4 million from customers. Fields and Mahan reportedly used the proceeds to pay themselves, and purchase cars and a residence in Texas.
The indictment charges Fields and Mahan with one count of conspiracy to introduce misbranded or unapproved drugs into interstate commerce and to smuggle goods into the United States, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.