Mail order house C.P. Direct has been shut down by authorities for allegedly selling fake breast and penis enlargement pills through the Internet and direct mail, according to Reuters.
State and federal authorities seized the assets of its owners and operators worth more than $30 million.
Geraldine Consoli, 76, her son, Michael 44, and Vincent J. Passafiume, 28, were each charged with conspiracy, fraud, theft, money laundering and racketeering in addition to violating a 1996 court order barring them from doing business over the Internet and by mail in the state, a spokeswoman for Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano said.
The personal and company-seized assets included four high-priced luxury cars, $20 million in bank accounts, $3 million in cash and what officials described as a “bounty of luxury jewelry.”
Authorities acted after receiving numerous complaints from people who purchased the pills, which were supposed to product results after several months, Napolitano’s spokeswoman said.
First-time buyers were charged $59.99, plus shipping and handling for the first month’s supply and $39.99 a month thereafter, she said. Authorities are trying to determine how many people bought the bills and how to reach them.
Six years ago the Scottsdale, AZ-based firm voluntarily agreed to stop doing business in Arizona after the state sued them for fraud in connection with a discount-buying club, called The Sound Connection, which sold computers and other electronic devices, according to the report.
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