Middletown Business Owner Faces Federal Charges

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A Middletown business owner is accused of making and selling adulterated dietary supplements, according to authorities. 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 U.S. States Attorney for Connecticut’s office announced Friday.

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, according to the indictment. On Dec. 4, 2014, the FDA held a meeting with Trigo to “discuss NatureMost’s violations of current good manufacturing practice regulations,” according to officials.

“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,” officials wrote in a news release. “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.