November 21, 2017: Williamsville Couple Pleads Guilty
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Food and Drug Administration
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U.S. Department of Justice Press Release
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For Immediate Release |
United States Department of Justice Western District of New York |
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BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Shaheen Hassanali, 45, pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return, and her husband, Riyaz Hassanali, 57, both of Williamsville, NY, pleaded guilty to receiving and delivering misbranded drugs. The pleas took place before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charge against Shaheen Hassanali carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Riyaz Hassanali faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maura K. O’Donnell, who is handling the case, stated that for the tax years 2006-2009, Shaheen Hassanali filed false joint income tax returns for herself and her husband. The defendant substantially under-reported the income earned from her husband’s medical practice.
In addition, between 2009 and 2011, Riyaz Hassanali ordered, and administered to patients, a misbranded, and non-FDA approved, foreign market product, similar to the prescription drug Dysport, a prescription drug commonly used in cosmetic procedures.
The pleas are the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division, under the direction of James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Office, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, under the direction of Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent-in- New York Field Office.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 6, 2018, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.
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