Latest news with #FIPWarriors
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
Cedar Park woman sentenced for multi-million-dollar scheme that defrauded cat owners
The Brief A Cedar Park woman pleaded guilty to a federal charge and was sentenced to 1 year probation The woman carried out a multi-million-dollar scheme that defrauded cat owners nationwide over several years A person who knew the woman spoke out CEDAR PARK, Texas - A Cedar Park woman pleaded guilty to a federal charge and was sentenced on Monday. She must serve one year of probation and forfeit roughly $4 million in assets. The multi-million-dollar scheme defrauded cat owners nationwide over several years. Nicole Randall, 37, of Cedar Park carried out the online operation. The backstory The person FOX 7 Austin spoke with asked to stay anonymous, but they knew Randall through volunteering at Austin Pets Alive!. "Nicole Randall was my friend. To understand who she is, how she got involved with the black market FIP, and what happened, you have to understand her story. I met Nicole in 2018. She was looking to adopt. She found the perfect kitten, whose name was Baconator. She took him home, and after two months, he got sick." The source said a veterinarian diagnosed the new kitten with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). It is a deadly disease in cats that has long been considered incurable. "Nicole went to the Internet, and she came across a drug called GS-441524." GS can be used to treat the deadly disease, but it was not legal in the United States at the time. Within a few weeks, Baconator died from FIP. "Nicole and several others started the group FIP Warriors, a group of pet owners who were sourcing GS through the Chinese black market." The Facebook group currently has 82.9K members, including a former Austinite, who has had two cats diagnosed with the disease. "Admins of the FIP Warriors group sought to figure out which products being offered in this space were actually safe and effective." The page is a space that people turn to in a time of desperation. They are cat owners seeking answers, support, and a lifeline for their dying animal. "Nicole saw an opportunity to make money because pet owners will spend thousands of dollars to save the life of their cat." Randall used fake names on the Chinese black market to purchase and smuggle illegal medication into the country, disguising it as pet shampoo, cosmetics, face masks, and other beauty products. She collected the money through various mobile payment apps, including Venmo, CashApp, and PayPal. "We were shocked to learn how high the profits were. Especially because so many families would refinance their houses or even sell their plasma to afford treatment." The backstory An undercover investigation was launched in the summer of 2021. A year later, agents executed a search warrant at her Cedar Park home, where they found around 30 boxes containing the illegal drug. According to the DOJ, they believe she distributed 58,460 liquid vials and 236,836 pills of GS-441524 over two years. Click to open this PDF in a new window. "We did not learn how much Nicole made until the raid." As part of the plea deal Randall took, she had to give up four properties, a Tesla, and 10 financial accounts totaling roughly $4 million. Randall was charged with criminal information with introducing an adulterated drug into interstate commerce. What they're saying As for the legality of GS, it has since changed. "Treatment is more accessible, it's more affordable, it's safer. And veterinarians can actually be the ones in the driver's seat prescribing and treating their patients." Technically, the treatment option is still not legally available in the U.S. However, a veterinarian can now prescribe and compound it in certain circumstances. The Source Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Katie Pratt
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
North Texas cat owners among those defrauded in multimillion-dollar scheme involving smuggled drugs
DALLAS - A Texas woman received probation and had to give up more than $4 million in cash and property connected to a scam targeting cat owners. The woman, who is not a licensed vet, misdiagnosed sick cats and prescribed unauthorized medicine. Nicole Randall seized the opportunity to help the sick cats but also help her own pocketbook, too. According to court documents, between February 2020 and May 2022, Randall used fake names to smuggle unapproved cat medication into the U.S. disguised as facial masks, pet shampoo, beauty products and cosmetics. Local perspective When Benrbook-native Nat Burton's cat was diagnosed with a fatal disease called feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), there was no treatment. "We kept him comfortable until he couldn't go anymore," she said. "After that, I said, 'I'm not going to let this happen again. I'm going to do everything I can.'" And when her seven-week-old kitten tested positive for the disease, Burton stayed true to her word. Veterinarians, at the time, couldn't prescribe the life-saving medication. So people like Burton had to turn online. That's how she found the FIP Warriors Facebook group run by a woman named Nicole Randall from Cedar Park, Texas, just north of Austin. Burton shared all the information about her kitten brisket's diagnosis, ordered the medication and paid Randall through Zelle. "I never had a problem getting the meds and [my cat] improved in like three days," she recalled. Unbeknownst to her, the FDA was onto Randall and started an undercover investigation. They discovered she was smuggling the medication from China and charging enormous prices to customers, making millions of dollars. Libby Cooley, from Dallas, also purchased medication through Randall. "I actually remember years ago, kind of my reaction was a little bit of shock because we had become aware that she was spending, kind of flamboyantly spending money," she recalled. In one year, Cooley spent around $10,000. "It kind of makes you think, 'If she has this much money, how much did that medication actually cost?' Right?" Randall pleaded guilty to a federal charge of introducing an adulterated drug into interstate commerce. Randall's scheme was highly profitable. As part of the plea agreement, Randall agreed to forfeit four real properties, ten financial accounts, and a Tesla, worth roughly $4 million combined and traceable to her proceeds from smuggling and distributing the unapproved drugs. "It really just makes me indescribably angry," said Burton. Big picture view These days, licensed veterinarians can prescribe the drugs, and pharmacies can make it. Cooley now works for Las Colinas Compound and Wellness Pharmacy. They are able to get the medication into the hands of pet owners in less than 24 hours. "It's important for veterinarians to understand the disease, to learn about it now that they're able to treat it and to be able to write prescriptions and care for their patients the way that they want to," advised Cooley. What's next Randall was sentenced to one year probation. Burton said she is using a prescription medication to treat one of her cats, and it is working. Cooley says the Las Colinas pharmacy hopes to work with pharmacies across the country to get the formulas in their hands and the drug available in all 50 states. The Source Information in this article comes from U.S. District of Oregon court documents, criminal complaints and interviews with North Texas cat owners targeted in the scheme.
