LEBANON, PA-The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Stefan Knoche, age 55, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was charged by Criminal Information with trafficking in counterfeit drugs.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the information alleges that Knoche intentionally trafficked drugs knowing them to contain counterfeit marks of pharmaceutical manufacturers Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Bayer AG, Eli Lilly and Company, and Roche Holding AG between May 23, 2017 and April 12, 2018. The information alleges Knoche knowingly trafficked counterfeit Viagra, Aurogra, Xanax, Levitra, Cialis, and Valium, all using counterfeit trademarks of their respective pharmaceutical companies.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney James T. Clancy is prosecuting the case.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.