Business ProfileforBlackstone Labs, LLC

UPDATE.  As of March 11, 2022:

James Boccuzzi, 38, of Parkland, was director of sales for Blackstone Labs LLC, a Boca Raton-based sports and dietary supplements retailer. A jury convicted Boccuzzi in December 2021 of conspiracy to defraud the FDA and conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids. U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas of the Southern District of Florida sentenced Boccuzzi to 51 months in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of $20,000.

Boccuzzi and his co-conspirators, including Phillip “PJ” Braun, Aaron Singerman, Blackstone Labs LLC and others, conspired to defraud the FDA and to illegally manufacture and distribute anabolic steroids that were controlled substances under the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act. Evidence at trial established that Boccuzzi and his co-conspirators continued to sell the illegal controlled substances despite knowing about the law and its impact on the legality of Blackstone’s steroid products.

The evidence also showed that Boccuzzi and his co-conspirators quickly sold off other Blackstone products containing certain stimulants after they received an FDA warning letter notifying them that the products were unlawful to sell as dietary supplements. Further, the evidence showed that the conspirators concealed the sales of other products containing research chemicals despite knowing that the products could not legally be sold as dietary supplements. During the conspiracy, Boccuzzi also created a fraudulent “Certificate of Free Sale,” representing himself to be an employee of the FDA, in order to ship Blackstone Labs products internationally.

LINK: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/florida-dietary-supplement-salesman-sentenced-conspiring-defraud-fda-and-conspiring

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UPDATE.  As of February 17, 2022:

A Florida man who co-founded a sports and dietary supplements retailer was sentenced today to 54 months in prison for conspiring to sell illegal anabolic steroids and other products marketed as dietary supplements that were unlawful under federal law. A second Florida man was sentenced to 13 months in prison for his role in the scheme.

According to court documents, Phillip Braun, 41, of Boca Raton, founded and operated Blackstone Labs LLC, a Boca Raton-based sports and dietary supplements retailer. Braun, who pleaded guilty in November 2021 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and to selling unapproved new drugs, is also the CEO of Blackstone. U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas of the Southern District of Florida sentenced Braun to 54 months in prison and ordered him to forfeit $3 million. The court also ordered Blackstone Labs to pay $1.2 million in forfeiture.

Anthony Ventrella, 43, of Delray Beach, Florida, operated a series of companies that manufactured many of the illegal products marketed and sold by Blackstone. Ventrella, who pleaded guilty in September 2021 to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud as part of the scheme, was sentenced to 13 months in prison. The court also ordered Ventrella’s company, Ventech Labs, to forfeit equipment used to make the illegal products.

On Jan. 27, Aaron Singerman, who co-founded and operated Blackstone Labs with Braun, was sentenced to 54 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $2.9 million.

In total, eight individuals and three companies were convicted in connection with the activities of Blackstone Labs. James Boccuzzi, who was convicted by a jury on Dec. 9, 2021 of one count of conspiracy to defraud the FDA and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, is scheduled to be sentenced on March 11.

LINK: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/blackstone-labs-founder-sentenced-conspiracy-sell-anabolic-steroids-and-unlawful-dietary-0

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UPDATE: As of January 27, 2022:

The founder of a sports and dietary supplements retailer was sentenced Thursday to 54 months in prison for conspiring to sell illegal steroids and other products marketed as dietary supplements that were unlawful under federal law.  Court documents say Aaron Singerman, 41, of Delray Beach founded and operated Blackstone Labs LLC, a Boca Raton-based sports and dietary supplements retailer.

Singerman pleaded guilty, admitting in court to leading a conspiracy to sell the products through Blackstone labeled as "dietary supplements." The products were not approved by the FDA and were controlled substances.  According to court documents, Blackstone defrauded the FDA as part of the scheme. Singerman admitted to conspiring with others from 2012 through 2017, selling the illegal, unapproved drugs and lying to consumers by characterizing Blackstone products as safe and legal dietary supplements.

LINK: https://www.wptv.com/news/crime/founder-of-boca-raton-based-retailer-sentenced-for-conspiracy-to-sell-illegal-dietary-supplements

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UPDATE: As of December 10, 2021:

On Dec. 9, a federal jury in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, convicted James Boccuzzi, 37, of Boca Raton, Florida, of one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Boccuzzi who was Blackstone's director of sales, is the 11th defendant convicted in connection with Blackstone Labs LLC, a Boca Raton company that sold millions of dollars of products labeled as dietary supplements. Boccuzzi was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals following trial, and he is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 17, 2022.

LINK: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-jury-convicts-florida-man-role-defrauding-fda-and-distributing-designer-anabolic

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UPDATE: As of November 19, 2021:

Blackstone Labs LLC ("Blackstone") and two of its executives pleaded guilty to conspiring to sell illegal anabolic steroids and other unlawful products marketed as dietary supplements, the Justice Department announced.

According to court documents, Phillip "PJ" Braun, 40, of Boca Raton, Florida, and Aaron Singerman, 41, of Delray Beach, Florida, founded and operated Blackstone, a Boca Raton-based sports and dietary supplements retailer. Braun is Blackstone's CEO and former President, and Singerman is the former CEO of Blackstone.

On Nov. 17, Braun and Singerman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(E), and 846, and to selling unapproved new drugs, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 331(d), 355(a), and 333(a)(2). On Nov. 19, Blackstone Labs pleaded guilty to the same charges as Braun and Singerman, as well as to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371.

In pleading guilty, Braun and Singerman admitted to leading a conspiracy to sell products through Blackstone that were labeled as dietary supplements but were actually controlled substances or drugs that were not approved by the FDA. Blackstone made the same admissions, and also admitted to having defrauded the FDA and consumers by selling illegal substances falsely labeled as dietary supplements.

The defendants specifically admitted that, from 2012 through 2017, they conspired to sell products that were unapproved new drugs and/or illegal controlled substances under the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act. The defendants admitted that they falsely characterized their products as safe and legal dietary supplements. In addition, they falsely represented that the products were made in "FDA approved" registered facilities that followed all required regulations, when in fact they were not. The defendants also admitted to controlling a supplement manufacturer that fraudulently imported raw ingredients for their products from China. Braun and Singerman both admitted to selling many other products in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, including synthetic stimulants DMAA and DMBA, and the "nootropic" chemical picamilon. The defendants ignored injury generally allege from consumers and did not notify the FDA of generally allege, even when required by law. As part of their plea agreements, the defendants also agreed to forfeit all proceeds of these crimes, with Braun forfeiting $3 million, Singerman forfeiting $2.9 million and Blackstone forfeiting $1 million.

Braun and Singerman are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2022, in Ft. Lauderdale before U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas of the Southern District of Florida. Both face a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison. Judge Dimitrouleas will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Blackstone is also scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2022.

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UPDATE: As of September 2, 2021:

A Florida man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by concealing information about illegal products labeled as dietary supplements.

David Winsauer, 35, of Delray Beach, worked from 2014 to 2018 for Blackstone Labs, LLC, a Boca Raton company that sold products labeled as dietary supplements. According to court filings, Winsauer admitted that he and other co-conspirators worked to portray the company to consumers as complying with applicable federal laws, when in fact, the company arranged to manufacture products that were illegal under federal law. Winsauer admitted that members of the conspiracy also coordinated to conceal sales of products labeled as dietary supplements from the FDA, including by removing information about illegal products from online marketing to create the false impression that they were no longer selling those products.

Winsauer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States in Ft. Lauderdale before U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas of the Southern District of Florida. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 12 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

LINK: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/florida-man-pleads-guilty-conspiracy-defraud-fda-connection-dietary-supplements

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As of March 8, 2020 U.S. Dept. Of Justice: Case No. 19-80030-CR-DIMITROULEAS/MATTHEWMAN

Six people and two Florida corporations were charged in an indictment for their roles in a scheme to distribute illegal dietary supplements, the Department of Justice announced today.
Phillip Braun, of Boca Raton, Florida, Aaron Singerman, of Delray Beach, Florida, Robert DiMaggio, of Henderson, Nevada, Anthony Ventrella, of Boynton Beach, Florida, David Winsauer, of Boca Raton, Florida, and James Boccuzzi, of Parkland, Florida, were charged in a 14-count indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury in Miami, Florida on March 7, 2019, and was unsealed today. The indictment also charged Blackstone Labs and Ventech Labs, two Florida limited liability companies in Palm Beach County, Florida.

The indictment alleges that the defendants sold hundreds of thousands of illegal products, including anabolic steroids, nationwide and internationally, fraudulently representing that those products and pills were high-quality, legal dietary supplements. According to the indictment, the defendants created an illicit manufacturing company and routed sales of illegal products through trusted distributors, knowing that the products were unsafe or could not legally be sold to consumers.

"Fraud by supplement manufacturers and distributors is extremely dangerous for consumers, who rightly assume that a dietary supplement product sold in stores or online will not contain unapproved drugs," said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Department of Justice's Civil Division. "These products are not safe and that is why we will continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute those who import, manufacture, and distribute dangerous and illegal ingredients for fraudulent purposes."

"Consumers who use dietary supplements expect those products to be safe. When they contain drugs that are not FDA-approved, the health of the public is put at risk," said Catherine A. Hermsen, Acting Director, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations. "We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who place consumers' health in jeopardy."

All of the defendants were charged with one count of a conspiracy to defraud consumers and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by selling products labeled as dietary supplements that contained unapproved new drugs, illegal steroids, and other ingredients that were hazardous and prohibited by law. The indictment also charges Braun, an owner of Blackstone Labs, and Singerman, a former company owner, with two counts of introducing a product known as Super DMZ RX 2.0, an unapproved new drug, into interstate commerce. The maximum punishment for the conspiracy to defraud is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The maximum punishment for each of the two counts of introducing an unapproved new drug is three years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

The indictment further charges Braun, Singerman, and six other defendants with one count of a conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, which are Schedule III controlled substances under federal law and which may cause kidney failure, liver damage, and other permanent health problems when misused. The indictment alleges that one person suffered serious bodily injury from the use of one of the steroids involved in the conspiracy. The maximum punishment for the conspiracy to distribute controlled substances is 15 years' imprisonment and a fine of $500,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

The indictment additionally charges several defendants in three separate counts of distribution of anabolic steroids and charges Ventrella with one count of possession of an anabolic steroid with the intent to distribute. The maximum punishment for each count of distribution of a controlled substance and for the count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute is 10 years in prison and a fine of $500,000. Finally, Braun and Singerman are each charged with three counts of money laundering. The maximum punishment for each money laundering charge is 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the amount of the property involved in the money laundering transaction.

For further assistance please contact
U.S. Attorney's Office
West Palm Beach:
U.S. Attorney's Office
500 S.Australian Ave. Ste. 400
W. Palm Beach, Fl. 33401
(561) 820-8777
Email: [email protected]

LINK: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/six-individuals-and-two-companies-charged-illegal-dietary-supplements-scheme