pogue
New Member
Well guys, glad I found this thread, let me share a little story that has made my day a bit unnerving.....[snip]
Today I get home and in my front door is a card from FDA Special Agent in criminal investigations Steve Grillo. No message, no call, just the card in my door. I call agent Grillo and leave him a message. After reading this forum I find Agt. Grillo is also associated with this [/snip]
Is my life over?
(I'm not a lawyer so I can't confirm this with 100% certainty.) But, the FDA is not a law enforcement (LE) agency. They don't have the legal authority to arrest people like the DEA and USPS postal inspectors can. If someone from the FDA is knocking at your door and leaving you calls it means they are investigating something and are looking for bigger fish to fry than you. More than likely one of the following scenarios happened:
A) A package got intercepted. This is fairly common and on domestic orders its easy to trace. Since LE isn't involved this means they aren't trying to arrest people, generally not end users. If LE had seized a package and determined there to be scheduled drugs that weren't prescribed then it would probably be more than a knock at the door and having a card left.
B) A compounding pharmacy is being investigated. Whoever compounds for Maximus could be being investigated by the FDA. They probably got ahold of the customer list and are trying to see what was sent and if it violated the law. It sounds like Maximus might have aroused the suspicion of the FDA for a number of reasons and now they're trying to figure out whats going on.
C) Maximus is being investigated. Since the FDA is involved they are going to be looking at how they are operating and trying to see if they are up to snuff with prescribing laws. Its well known that TRT/HRT clinics are under investigation a lot and kind be kind of sketchy. I'm sure as Millard knows, you'll see a lot on the news types of "fountain of youth" clinics run under certain types of anti-aging docs being investigated and shut down for what the FDA perceives as over prescribing of HGH, testosterone and similar. The people who operate it are shut down and given big fines, but customers don't get prosecuted. The customers are often left with prescriptions they can't fill and bills but no legal action.
Again, I'm not a lawyer, so I can't say any of this with any authority. But just from prior experience, I would say its one of the three. Since an agent just wants to talk to you you're not under any obligation to do so and you can speak to a lawyer about it first. Obviously, that can cost some money but you'd be better off doing that now than down the road later if you're concerned. They're most likely just trying to figure out what was happening with Maximus' customer base than trying to arrest you or anything like that.
Keep a copy of the ACLU Bust Card in your wallet so you always know your rights. You don't have to agree to an interview, but if you do, remember you can terminate it at any time. If you didn't do anything criminal, its going to be easier to just speak with them and explain the situation He may want you to testify or try to subpoena you later though, if they decide to go to trial and prosecute.
If you're worried about it, give Rick Collins a call.
