CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Elliott Atwell, a Charlottesville man
who allegedly sent male enhancement pills to a 16-year-old living in New
Jersey, was arrested this morning at his home in Charlottesville on a federal
criminal complaint and charged with dispensing prescription drugs without a
valid prescription. United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen of the Western
District of Virginia, United States Attorney Craig Carpenito of the District of
New Jersey, Gregory W. Ehrie, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Newark
Division, and David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond
Division announced the arrest today following the defendant’s initial court
appearance this afternoon in Virginia.
Atwell, 30, is charged with two counts of dispensing drugs
without a valid prescription, each of which could result in a year of
imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.
According to court documents, over the course of the past
several years, Atwell developed online and in-person relationships with
multiple juveniles in New Jersey, and elsewhere. In March 2020, a 16-year-old
juvenile living in New Jersey told investigators that Atwell sent him a package
containing “Viagra” in the mail. Atwell told the juvenile the medication he was
sending would cause him to have erections that would last for hours and would
allow him to have sex “like a porn star.”
The juvenile’s mother intercepted the package and turned it
over to investigators. Upon examination, the package was revealed to contain
prescription medication for male erectile dysfunction. In addition, the package
contained warnings to “keep out of reach of children” and to only be used by
medical professionals.
The investigation of this case remains ongoing and is being
handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in both Virginia and New Jersey.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kristen Harberg, Heather L. Carlton, and
Ronald M. Huber are prosecuting the case for the United States.
A criminal complaint is only a charge and not evidence of
guilt. All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.
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