Anthony Pollino, 37, of Modesto, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, Pollino, along with several co-defendants, conspired to obtain counterfeit copies of the erectile-dysfunction drugs Viagra®, Cialis®, and Levitra®, along with their packaging, and sell them to consumers throughout California and in the Las Vegas, Nevada area.
The defendants assured buyers their products were genuine when they were actually cheaply made foreign copies of the drugs. The defendants operated as a business, calling their operation the “California Confidence Company.” Pollino admitted that the value of the counterfeit products attributable to him as over $350,000.
Pollino is in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii on October 5, 2015. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine.
