Bay Area Man Sentenced for Fake Xanax Scheme

BAY AREA, CA – A federal judge in Oakland sentenced a man to more than 10 years in prison Tuesday for his role as the leader of a counterfeit Xanax operation.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White sentenced David Beckford to prison after Beckford, 28, pleaded guilty to several felony charges, including sale of counterfeit drugs and conspiracy to engage in international
money laundering.

Beckford, from Oakland, admitted that during a period of about two years, starting in January of 2014, he imported controlled substances from China, obtained drug manufacturing equipment, made fake Xanax pills and wired money to China and other countries to pay for the materials he used to make the drugs, according to the Department of Justice.

Beckford also admitted to being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"The defendant was the mastermind of this elaborate scheme," said Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Michael Batdorf. "He found international suppliers through the internet and solicited others, including his girlfriend, to handle the wire transfer payments of funds to overseas suppliers."

Investigators with the IRS, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Attorney's Office say Beckford was responsible for making more than 161,000 fake pills.

Last May, a federal grand jury indicted Beckford and four others on 33 counts related to the operation.

Stephen Florida was sentenced to 14 months in prison and Isaiah Clayton to three years for their part in the scheme and Beau Sankene has pleaded guilty to charges related to her role and is awaiting sentencing, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Another defendant, Antoine King has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 21.

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