Collegeville Man Sentenced To Prison For Selling Fake Dog Cancer Drugs

COLLEGEVILLE, PA — A Collegeville man who sold fake cancer drugs to hundreds of pet owners in a complex scheme that defrauded local residents of close to $1 million has been sentenced to prison.

Jonathan Nyce, 73, will spend the next eight years in prison, U.S. District Judge Wendy Bettlestone ruled this week.

"He deliberately exploited people’s emotions, their love for their ailing dogs, purely for his own financial gain," U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero said in a statement. "Many people consider dogs members of their families, so they’re especially vulnerable to such schemes."

Nyce marketed the fake drugs, named "Tumexal" and "Naturasone" on his website with names including of fake companies, including "Canine Care," authorities said.

He made the drugs himself in a facility on Arcola Road in Collegeville, authorities said.

He then promised owners of sick pets that they could become part of special clinical trials for new drugs, but first they had to pay him large sums of money, according to police.

None of the so-called "treatments" were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

During the trial, Nyce represented himself. In addition to his time behind bars, he was also sentenced to three years of probation and a $500 fine.