Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Connecticut

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 13, 2019

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging ROBERT J. TRIGO, 75, of Middletown, and his business, NATUREMOST OF NEW ENGLAND, INC., with manufacturing and selling adulterated dietary supplements.

The indictment was returned on September 6, 2019, and Trigo surrendered to law enforcement this morning.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and was released on a $250,000 bond.

As alleged in the indictment, Trigo owns NatureMost of New England, Inc. (“NatureMost”), located in Middletown.  NatureMost manufactures, among other things, vitamins and dietary supplements, which it sells and distributes to wholesalers, distributors and retailers, as well as to individual consumers throughout the U.S. and several foreign countries.  On December 4, 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) held a meeting with Trigo to discuss NatureMost’s violations of current good manufacturing practice regulations.  Trigo informed the FDA that NatureMost had ceased production and distribution of all products as of that date, and he promised to meet with the FDA before resuming operations.

It is further alleged that Trigo never contacted the FDA about resuming operations and, in 2017, NatureMost and Trigo fraudulently sold adulterated dietary supplements that were not prepared, packed or held in accordance with current good manufacturing practice regulations.

The indictment charges Trigo and NatureMost with three counts of introducing adulterated dietary supplements into interstate commerce.  If convicted of the charges, Trigo faces maximum term of imprisonment of three years and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count, and NatureMost faces a fine of up to $500,000 on each count.

U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

Topic(s):
Consumer Protection
Component(s):
USAO - Connecticut