A Michigan man has admitted guilt in a federal court in Boston for his role in a conspiracy to import and sell illegal pharmaceuticals, including opioids. He also fraudulently obtained a COVID-19 pandemic relief loan to fund the operation. Donald Nchamukong, 37, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, commit loan fraud, and distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton has set sentencing for June 25, 2025.
Between 2019 and 2022, Nchamukong and Doyal Kalita conspired to distribute drugs over the internet and through call centers in India. They used shell companies to process sales of illegal foreign drugs such as tramadol, a Schedule IV opioid. The pair received shipments from India and reshipped them across the United States, including Massachusetts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they secured a $200,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan under false pretenses to support their drug operations.
Kalita was convicted in 2024 and sentenced to ten years in prison for orchestrating both an online drug distribution scheme and a technical support fraud scheme.
The charge of conspiracy carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine that could reach $250,000 or twice the monetary gain or loss from the crime.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen of the FBI's Boston Division; Thomas Demeo from IRS Criminal Investigation's Boston Field Office; and Fernando P. McMillan from the FDA's New York Field Office of Criminal Investigations. Homeland Security Investigations in New York also provided assistance along with other agencies.
In response to pandemic-related frauds like this one, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force on May 17, 2021. This task force aims to enhance efforts against domestic and international criminal actors involved in pandemic-related frauds by coordinating resources across government agencies.
For further information about combating pandemic-related fraud or reporting allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 relief programs, visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud or contact the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline.