Inverness man sentenced to three years after conviction in federal court of selling counterfeit drugs via internet
Benjamin Wade Burdick, 55, of Inverness, Florida, was sentenced to three years in prison, August 24, after being found guilty in federal court of selling hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription drug pills through the internet.
“By selling counterfeit drugs through the Darknet, the defendant recklessly endangered the community and placed his own personal gain over the health and safety of the public,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in a press release.
Between June 2019 and August 2020, undercover federal agents purchased numerous packages of counterfeit pills from Burdick. When his home was searched pursuant to a federal search warrant in October 14, 2020, agents recovered 16,000 counterfeit pills, a pill press, and almost $150,000 in cash. Law enforcement also discovered six firearms and miscellaneous ammunition in Burdick’s residence.
According to court documents, from at least April 2019 until October 2020, Mr. Burdick sold at least 249,700 counterfeit Xanax pills through online hidden marketplaces. At his then 3766 S. Susan Pt., Inverness, FL residence, Burdick used a pill press to manufacture pills that he stamped with the letters "Xanax." The pills contained alprazolam, which is contained in the genuine Xanax pills, but the pills also contained other substances such as flualprazolam, etizolam, adinazolam, and microcrystalline cellulose, according to the press release.
"The counterfeit pills that Burdick was selling online could have deadly consequences in our communities across the country,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Bornstein of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division.
On October 14, 2020, Mr. Burdick, along with a second person, then-29 year-old Catilynkyrie Anastashia Gonzalez Burdick, were arrested under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Ms. Burdick was charged with 11 offenses while Mr. Burdick was charged with 13.
Both were charged with:
•possession of an imitation controlled substance (etizolam)
•distributing an imitation controlled substance (etizolam)
•possession of a counterfeit controlled substance (alprazolam) with intent to sell, manufacture, or deliver
•distributing a medical drug (flualprazolam) through an internet pharmacy without a permit
•4 counts of possession of a controlled substance (cocaine, steroids, THC wax, and greater than 20 grams of marijuana)
•manufacturing counterfeit alprazolam in a home where a child under 16 years of age was present
•scheme to defraud while obtaining property with an aggregate value of $50,000 or more
•receiving proceeds from racketeering in counterfeit alprazolam
•possession and use of drug manufacturing and packaging equipment
Mr. Burdick was additionally charged with:
•possession of an illegal driver's license or identification card
•using a counterfeit driver's license to rent a U.S. Postal Service post office box
The two arrests were the result of a yearlong, multi-agency investigation by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO), in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).