After numerous delays, the Federal Court of the Western District of Pennsylvania handed down sentencing for Gerald Wills and Robert Catalano, President and Vice President of the now defunct Puck Technology, Inc. for conspiring to defraud the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) by marketing and selling via their websites devices aimed to help defeat federal, and federally regulated, employment urine drug tests. Wills and Catalano operated websites that sold products such as “Go Number 1″ and “The Whizzinator” , prosthetic devices that would allow both men and women to pass urine drug tests under direct observation (you may remember that ex-NFLer Onterrio Smith was a fan of this product).
The pair pleaded guilty to this charge in December of 2008 and it took almost a full year and a half for a verdict. Having followed this story diligently during this time, I expected a little heavier sentence, being a federal case and all. But, as it turns out, Wills received a sentence of six months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Catalano received only three years probation. Puck Technology, Inc. received a sentence of forfeiture of all its assets and dissolution. These two got off easy, if you ask me!
This case might just be the tip of the iceberg. There are still many websites out there claiming to sell products that mask drugs in urine. I expect to see a lot more cases like this in the future.
Click to read “Two Business Owners Sentenced for Conspiring to Defeat Federal Drug Tests”
[...] in Legislative Updates, Substance Abuse Screening 0 The state of Tennessee seems to be taking a cue from the federal government by introducing a bill which would make it illegal to sell synthetic urine in their state for the [...]