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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A former Ashe County resident has been sentenced to nine years in prison for bilking consumers out of almost $5 million by misrepresenting erectile dysfunction drugs as being "all natural" herbal supplements.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that 53-year-old Kamraz Rezapour was sentenced on Wednesday. Rezapour pleaded guilty in February 2014 to wire fraud and drug misbranding.
Rezapour was also ordered to pay a $15,000 fine, more than $44,000 in restitution and forfeiture of crime-related proceeds.
Court records show he defrauded consumers of nearly $5 million by claiming that the erectile dysfunction products he sold were "100 percent safe and natural," when, according to prosecutors, the products actually contained ingredients similar to prescription drugs such as Viagra, which require federal approval to market and distribute.
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