Three men were arrested and a fourth is being sought by the FBI in connection with what investigators said was a scheme to market stem cells as miracle cures to desperate people suffering from terminal diseases.
"Protecting the public from unproven and potentially dangerous drug and medical procedures is very important," said U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. "This office will continue to prosecute violations involving threats to the public health."
The arrests began in the last ten days after two indictments were issued in November charging the four with 39 counts of mail fraud and unlawfully manufacturing, distributing, and selling stem cells and stem cell procedures not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
One of the four men charged, Vincent Dammai, 40, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, was identified as a researcher at the Medical University of South Carolina. The FBI said he used university facilities to create stem cells without obtaining permission from the FDA or university officials.
Francisco Morales, 52, of Brownsville, Texas, is charged with falsely saying that he was a medical doctor who operated a clinic in Brownsville that specialized in using stem cells to treat "incurable diseases."