March 2, 2017: Bath County Man Convicted of Obstructing Justice and Selling Misbranded Products
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U.S. Department of Justice Press Release
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For Immediate Release |
United States Department of Justice Eastern District of Kentucky |
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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Samuel A. Girod, from Owingsville, Kentucky, has been convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to impede an officer of the United States, obstruction of proceedings before an agency of the United States, witness tampering, failure to appear, and nine violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, in connection with three products he made and distributed.
On Wednesday afternoon, the jury, sitting in Lexington, delivered a guilty verdict on all thirteen counts against Mr. Girod. The verdict came after two and half days of trial.
The evidence at trial established that in September 2013, Mr. Girod and his company Satterfield Naturals were ordered by a federal judge in Missouri to stop manufacturing and distributing three products he made: TO-MOR-GONE, Chickweed Healing Salve, and R.E.P. Mr. Girod advertised the products as curing skin cancer, removing tumors, and helpful for other conditions, including poison ivy, diaper rash, psoriasis, sinus infections, and headaches. Despite the federal court order, Mr. Girod continued to sell his products to customers in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Illinois, making the same claims about them. Mr. Girod was convicted of selling misbranded products with the intent to defraud and failing to register with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the intent to defraud, in violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
He was also convicted of conspiracy to impede an officer of the United States and obstruction of proceedings before the FDA in connection with events that arose in November 2013, when two FDA Consumer Safety Officers attempted a court-ordered inspection of Mr. Girod’s manufacturing facility. Further, once the criminal case began, Mr. Girod instructed a witness not to respond to a federal grand jury subpoena and violated his bond conditions when he failed to appear in the criminal case.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Mark McCormack, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, jointly announced the verdict. The case was investigated by the FDA, Office of Criminal investigations, and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate K. Smith and Todd Bradbury prosecuted the case on behalf of the federal government.
Girod is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, 2017. Any sentence will be imposed only after the Court has considered the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable statutes.
Topic:
Consumer Protection