By Stephen Maher, Postmedia News July 30, 2012
An American judge issued an arrest warrant Monday for a Canadian businessman over his role in an illegal Internet pharmacy operation.
Judge Irma Gonzalez, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, in San Diego, issued the warrant after Nathan Jacobson failed to show up for a sentencing hearing.
Jacobson, who grew up in Winnipeg and frequently hobnobs with senior Canadian politicians, was to be sentenced for conspiring to commit money-laundering.
Jacobson has offices and homes in Toronto and Israel. He pleaded guilty in May 7, 2008, to conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to U.S. attorney Phil Halpern in San Diego, but the plea has been sealed since then.
Jacobson and 17 others were charged in 2006 by a grand jury with 313 counts related to Affpower, an Internet pharmacy that dispensed drugs to Americans without legal prescriptions. Many of his co-accused have since been convicted, receiving long prison sentences.
Jacobson's role was clearing the payments — more than $46 million — through RX Payments Ltd., a credit-card clearing company registered in Malta but operating in Tel Aviv, Israel, according to court documents.
As part of his plea agreement, Jacobson agreed to forfeit $4.5 million.
Prosecutors hope that the judge will sentence him to prison time.
Continue Reading @ Montreal Gazette
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