Modesto man convicted in counterfeit erectile-dysfunction pills scheme

A Modesto man on Monday pleaded guilty to trafficking counterfeit erectile-dysfunction pills, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento reported.

Federal prosecutors said Anthony Pollino, 37, conspired with several co-defendants to sell the counterfeit drugs to costumers throughout the state and in the Las Vegas area.

The defendant remains in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 5. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a $5 million fine. Pollino was convicted of one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods.

The counterfeit drugs were packaged to appear like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra pills. Prosecutors said the defendants assured buyers their products were genuine, when they were actually cheaply made foreign copies of the drugs.

They said the defendants operated as a business, calling their operation the “California Confidence Company.”

This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Modesto man convicted in counterfeit erectile-dysfunction pills scheme."