Michigan man Donald Nchamukong, 37, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to charges related to a conspiracy to import and sell illegal pharmaceuticals, including opioids.
Court documents said the scheme was funded by fraudulently obtaining a COVID-19 pandemic relief loan.
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The 37-year-old admitted to conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, commit loan fraud, and distribute controlled substances.
U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton has scheduled his sentencing for June 25, 2025.
Court documents revealed that from 2019 to 2022, Nchamukong and co-conspirator Doyal Kalita distributed drugs to U.S. customers via the Internet and call centers in India.
They used shell companies, such as a dietary supplements company and an auto parts supplier, to process sales of illegal foreign drugs, including tramadol, a Schedule IV opioid.
The duo received shipments of tramadol from India and reshipped them to customers across the U.S., including Massachusetts.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, they fraudulently secured a $200,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan to support their illegal activities.
Kalita was convicted in 2024 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the drug distribution scheme and a technical support fraud scheme, along with related money laundering.
The charge of conspiracy carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the monetary gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
Anyone with information about attempted COVID-19 fraud can report it through the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or via their web complaint form.
