The role fake Viagra played in a 70-year-old Miami doctor losing his license
Dr. Hugo Romeu, 70, wasn't a Viagra user, at least not in this case. Romeu was a seller and what he sold was a counterfeit version of the erectile dysfunction drug. That's not a crime. Hiding that what you're selling is a counterfeit version counts as a crime.
READ MORE: Health company sues CEO over 'greed.' How the sale of Miami hospitals is involved
The indictment in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia says Romeu bought faux Viagra out of Hong Kong. Romeu's guilty plea says he then created a false 'transaction statement,' dated Oct. 25, 2016 that said his Georgia-based company Pharmrce bought 100 bottles of actual Viagra from Santa Ana, California's McGuff Company.
This statement went to a Pharmrce customer in Brunswick, Georgia, thus the location of the indictment.
'First: [Romeu] knowingly created a false product tracing document concerning the prescription drug Viagra,' his guilty plea said. 'Second: [Romeu] provided this false document to his customer. Third: [Romeu] did this with intent to defraud and mislead.'
Romeu pleaded guilty to failure to comply with a product tracing information requirement. He was sentenced to four months in prison, $171,835 in restitution. He was released on May 7, 2021.
READ MORE: Could illegal butt lifts get a Miami plastic surgery center suspended again?
Romeu's professional discipline history
Romeu had been licensed in Florida since Aug. 16, 1993. His previous troubles hinted at similar dishonesty as his Viagra shenanigans.
Back in 2006, the Florida Department of Health said he provided no records for 101 child patients for whom he billed Medicaid. Of the 146 pediatric patient records he did send, only 'a small number' had parent or guardian information.
Florida's Board of Medicine fined Romeu $10,000; ordered him to pay $6,722 in case costs; take two continuing medical education classes; and do 50 hours of community medical service.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
27 minutes ago
- New York Post
AI-fueled crypto scams are booming, up 456% — and no one is safe, expert warns
Crypto crooks are getting bolder — and now, they sound just like your mom. Global crypto scams soared 456% between May 2024 and April 2025 — becoming increasingly reliant on AI-generated voices, deepfake videos and phony credentials to fleece unsuspecting victims, blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs' Ari Redbord told The Post after testifying before Congress last Tuesday. 'These scams are highly effective, as the technology feels incredibly real and familiar to the victim,' Redbord said. Advertisement 4 TRM Labs' Ari Redbord, who testified before Congress last week, says scammers are now using AI-generated voices and deepfake credentials to mimic loved ones and steal crypto. Igor Faun – 'We've seen cases where scammers use AI to replicate the voice of a loved one, tricking the victim into transferring money under the guise of an urgent request.' And the threat is exploding — especially in high-density cities like New York, Miami and Los Angeles, he added. In June, New York officials froze $300,000 in stolen cryptocurrency and seized more than 100 scam websites linked to a Vietnam-based ring that targeted Russian-speaking Brooklynites with fake Facebook investment ads. Advertisement Meta shut down over 700 Facebook accounts tied to the scam. Investigators say the group used deepfake BitLicense certificates and moved victims onto encrypted apps like Telegram before draining their wallets. 4 Even crypto pros aren't safe — MoonPay's CEO and CFO were conned into wiring $250,000 to a scammer pretending to be a Trump inauguration insider. Igor Faun – Advertisement Some New Yorkers lost hundreds of thousands of dollars — and it's not just everyday joes getting targeted. Even crypto insiders are falling for it. Florida-based crypto firm MoonPay saw its CEO Ivan Soto-Wright and CFO Mouna Ammari Siala duped into wiring $250,000 in crypto to a scammer posing as Trump inauguration co-chair Steve Witkoff, according to a recent Department of Justice complaint. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Globally, fraudsters swiped more than $10.7 billion in 2024 through crypto cons — including romance scams, fake trading platforms and 'pig-butchering,' where scammers build fake relationships before draining victims' accounts, Redbord said. Advertisement In the US, Americans filed nearly 150,000 crypto-related fraud complaints in 2024, with losses topping $3.9 billion, according to the FBI. But the real number is likely much higher. 4 A Vietnam-based ring targeted Brooklyn's Russian-speaking community with fake BitLicenses and phony Facebook accounts before vanishing with hundreds of thousands. Igor Faun – 'Only around 15% of victims actually report these crimes,' Redbord said, citing shame, fear and distrust in law enforcement — particularly among older adults and immigrant communities. One of these scammers go-to tools? Crypto ATMs — especially those tucked inside New York delis and convenience stores. Illicit use at these kiosks is more than twice as high as in the broader crypto market, Redbord said. Victims are often directed to scan a QR code and deposit cash, instantly converting it to crypto before the funds disappear. As the scams rage on, Washington is starting to bring order to the Wild West of crypto. 4 Officials say the real number of crypto scam victims is far higher than reported, as shame and fear keep many from coming forward. Igor Faun – House lawmakers wrapped up 'Crypto Week' last Thursday by passing the first-ever comprehensive cryptocurrency legislation — a trio of bills focused on regulating stablecoins, trading platforms and digital asset infrastructure. Advertisement Even so, Redbord advised, common sense is the best defense. 'If something feels too good to be true — especially unsolicited investment advice — it almost always is,' he said. 'Verify the platform. Confirm identities. And when in doubt, report it — whether to IC3, Chainabuse or your local authorities.'
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Border Patrol dog retires after stopping more than 400 pounds of illegal drugs from entering US
He gave drug dealers a ruff time. A Border Patrol dog named Milan is retiring after an impressive career where he stopped more than 400 pounds of illegal drugs from entering the US. The 8-year-old German Shepherd sniffed out more than 122 pounds of marijuana, 253 pounds of cocaine, 45 pounds of ecstasy and 5 pounds of meth at the ports of Miami during his six-year career. 5 Milan worked for six years with US Customs and Border Protection. 'He's a wild dog,' Michael Schwank, his handler with US Customs and Border Protection, told The Post. 'All he wanted to do was work.' Schwank, who called Milan his work partner, said the duo found contraband on a quasi-daily basis, from small amounts of coke and ecstasy to gallons of drugs filled with liquid coke and meth. 'He worked long days in the hot sun and he did his job very well,' Robert Misseri, co-founder of Paws of War, the Long Island-based organization helping to find Milan a new home, told The Post. 'He was a highly respected canine.' 5 Schwank and Milan were partners at USCBP. Milan had to retire from USCBP when he started showing signs of intervertebral disc disease, a common condition in dogs where one or more of the discs between vertebrae in the spine become damaged. Schwank couldn't adopt Milan, he said, because he's got his hands full with two young children at home. 'It was very difficult to say goodbye. if I was in under different circumstances, I would definitely keep him. It choked me up,' he said. 5 Milan routinely sniffed out packages being shipped out of the Miami airport for concealed drugs. Paws of War, who pairs animals with veterans and first responders, is paying for Milan's medical bills, now and in the future. It's trying to find him a home with a current or former canine handler. 'These dogs don't know anything other than work,' said Misseri. 'What he thinks his play is searching for drugs. The person that we want him to wind up with will role play with him. We have a whole kit of what they use when they train, so something will smell like a certain type of drug.' 5 Milan sniffed out more than 400 pounds of illegal drugs at the ports of Miami during his six-year career. Tam Nguyen / NYPost Design Milan's training alone, at the USCBP's Canine Center in El Paso, took two years. 'These dogs sacrifice their entire lives to doing good,' said Misseri. 'I don't think anyone will know the true scale of what he's done in terms of lives saved, by intercepting these dangerous drugs. These dogs can sniff things out that, to this day, we don't have the technology that surpasses their scent.' Customs and Border Protection Officer Program Manager Alexander Hernandez called Schwank and Milan 'an incredible team' and 'laser-focused' on protecting our nation's borders. 5 Milan's foster home recently threw him a birthday party. Border Patrol started using dogs in 1986, amid a surging number of illegal migrants and drugs at the border. Today, the agency has more than 530 enforcement canine teams deployed throughout the country.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Child, 9, who died at Hersheypark was ‘beloved' member of Bhutan community
The 9-year-old girl who died in a wave pool at Hersheypark is a 'beloved' member of the Bhutanese community in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was pulled 'limp' from the water on Thursday, and later died at a hospital despite lifeguards' attempts to save her, according to reports. 'It is with profound sorrow and heavy hearts that the Bhutanese Community in Harrisburg (BCH) shares the heartbreaking news of the untimely passing of a beloved 9-year-old girl, a resident of our Harrisburg-based Bhutanese community,' the organization said in a statement. Advertisement The girl was a 'beloved' member of the Bhutanese community in Harrisburg, according to a report. Tribune News Service via Getty Images 'The child tragically lost her life in a devastating incident that occurred at Hersheypark,' the group's chairman, Tilak Niroula, said in a statement. The fatality was the first at Hersheypark since 1977. Advertisement The death was the first at the theme park since the 1970s. Tribune News Service via Getty Images 'At just nine years old, she was full of promise, innocence, and joy — a light in the lives of all who knew her. Her sudden and tragic departure has left a deep void in our hearts and the community she was so warmly a part of,' Niroula said, according to WGAL. 'Our entire community is grieving alongside the family during this unimaginably difficult time. Words cannot fully capture the depth of our pain, but we are united in our mourning and committed to standing with the family in love, prayer, and support.' Hundreds of comments from grieving members of the Bhutanese community flooded the BCH Facebook page. 'Very, very shocking news to all of us. What a tragedy has befallen us,' one person wrote. Hersheypark officials insisted the facility and its water park area, known as the Boardwalk, is safe. 'There were over 100 E&A-trained lifeguards in the Boardwalk at the time of the incident. There were 10 lifeguards specifically dedicated to the wave pool at the time of the incident. The specific lifeguards stationed at the wave pool received the highest level of training and certification,' park officials said in a statement. Niroula, speaking in Bhutanese in a video posted to Facebook, urged parents to stay vigilant. 'Please make sure to stay close and attentive when your children are in or near swimming pools or any body of water,' a caption accompanying the video read. 'Even a moment of distraction can lead to heartbreaking consequences.' The wave pool remained closed Saturday, Hersheypark said.
