Nicole Randall, a resident of Cedar Park, Texas, has been sentenced to one year of probation after pleading guilty to introducing an adulterated drug into interstate commerce. The case involves the smuggling and distribution of GS-441524, a drug not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human or animal use.
Court documents reveal that from February 2020 to May 2022, Randall used fake identities to bring GS-441524 into the United States under the guise of various products such as facial masks and cosmetics. Despite lacking veterinary or prescriber licenses, she and others utilized a Facebook group named "FIP Warriors 5.0" to mislead cat owners about their pets' health conditions.
An undercover agent joined this group in August 2021, submitting photos of a healthy cat which was falsely diagnosed with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and prescribed GS-441524. Payments for these unapproved drugs were made through platforms like PayPal, Zelle, or CashApp without any reference to medicine or brand names.
In July 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant at Randall's home in Cedar Park, Texas. They seized approximately 30 boxes containing vials of the adulterated drug. Investigations showed that between July 2020 and June 2022, Randall distributed over 58,000 liquid vials and more than 236,000 pills of GS-441524.
Randall faced charges on June 4, 2024. As part of her plea agreement, she agreed to forfeit assets valued at around $4 million including real estate properties and financial accounts linked to her illegal activities.
The investigation was conducted by the FDA with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John C. Brassell and Katherine C. de Villiers from the District of Oregon.