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Arrest in Fatal Internet Deal
Indiana man charged after LI man dies from diet drug
By Robert E. Kessler
Staff Writer
September 25, 2001
Federal agents have arrested an Indiana man who allegedly used the Internet to sell a banned weight-loss drug that caused the death of a Baldwin man who took it for bodybuilding, according to officials and the victim's family.
Sean Zhang, 24, of Bloomington, Ind., was held on $100,000 bail after a hearing yesterday at U.S. District Court in Indianapolis.
Authorities said Zhang had sold the drug dinitrophenol to Eric Perrin, 22, of Baldwin, a Cornell junior who died Aug. 6. Perrin's parents, Steven and Barbara Perrin, said their son had dropped out of school "to find himself" but became increasingly "obsessed with bodybuilding" and took dinitrophenol, commonly called DNP, to slim his waist.
The couple said in an interview yesterday that they knew the dangers of the drug but agreed to "sit vigil by him" while he took it because he threatened to move out of their home and take the drug elsewhere.
"It was foolish," said Barbara Perrin, a third-grade teacher, explaining she thought Eric had given them no choice. "I hope this will lead body-builders to understand how dangerous the drug is. They should post signs in all the gyms warning about DNP," she said.
Four days after taking the drug, Perrin started having trouble breathing and was rushed to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, where he died.
"It's been a horror, an absolute horror. Eric was the love of my life," Barbara Perrin said.
"He was a super-bright kid," said Steven Perrin, an accountant, saying their son had been on the Cornell dean's list, had won a top math prize at Baldwin High School and played saxophone in the all-Nassau High School band.
DNP has been touted in the past by some as a miracle weight-loss drug, but it was banned for use by humans in the 1930s because of its toxicity. As a chemical, dinitrophenol is legally sold as a pesticide and for the manufacture of dyes and wood preservatives.
The death of Perrin was the first in recent years caused by DNP, according to Stewart Magee, regional head of investigations for the Food and Drug Administration.
According to court papers, Perrin contacted Zhang through an encrypted Internet chatroom that is used by bodybuilders interested in illegal drugs.
Zhang was charged under Food and Drug Administration statutes with two counts of selling a drug without proper warning labels. The first count was for allegedly selling the dinitrophenol to Perrin on July 30. The second count was for allegedly selling it to an undercover federal agent on Sept. 8.
Zhang moved from Gaithersburg, Md. to Bloomington, Ind., shortly after Perrin died, but the indictment does not link the move to Perrin's death.
Neither Zhang nor his attorney could be reached to comment. If convicted, Zhang could face up to 6 years in prison.
Sources said Zhang was not charged with more serious crimes because there was no evidence he knew the drug would cause Perrin's death.
After Perrin died, Zhang continued to sell DNP over the Internet, saying it was "the most effective tool available today for the loss of body fat," according to U.S. Attorney Alan Vinegrad. Authorities said the death was reported in the Internet chat room that Zhang used, but they did not say whether Zhang knew of the death.
"Zhang's indictment and arrest should send a clear message to those who would profit from the sale of unapproved drugs," Vinegrad said. "We urge everyone not to use this drug as a weight loss remedy or ingest it for any reason."
Vinegrad said the Food and Drug Administration had set up a phone number for questions about DNP: 301-827-6250.
Copyright © 2001, Newsday, Inc.
Arrest in Fatal Internet Deal
Indiana man charged after LI man dies from diet drug
By Robert E. Kessler
Staff Writer
September 25, 2001
Federal agents have arrested an Indiana man who allegedly used the Internet to sell a banned weight-loss drug that caused the death of a Baldwin man who took it for bodybuilding, according to officials and the victim's family.
Sean Zhang, 24, of Bloomington, Ind., was held on $100,000 bail after a hearing yesterday at U.S. District Court in Indianapolis.
Authorities said Zhang had sold the drug dinitrophenol to Eric Perrin, 22, of Baldwin, a Cornell junior who died Aug. 6. Perrin's parents, Steven and Barbara Perrin, said their son had dropped out of school "to find himself" but became increasingly "obsessed with bodybuilding" and took dinitrophenol, commonly called DNP, to slim his waist.
The couple said in an interview yesterday that they knew the dangers of the drug but agreed to "sit vigil by him" while he took it because he threatened to move out of their home and take the drug elsewhere.
"It was foolish," said Barbara Perrin, a third-grade teacher, explaining she thought Eric had given them no choice. "I hope this will lead body-builders to understand how dangerous the drug is. They should post signs in all the gyms warning about DNP," she said.
Four days after taking the drug, Perrin started having trouble breathing and was rushed to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, where he died.
"It's been a horror, an absolute horror. Eric was the love of my life," Barbara Perrin said.
"He was a super-bright kid," said Steven Perrin, an accountant, saying their son had been on the Cornell dean's list, had won a top math prize at Baldwin High School and played saxophone in the all-Nassau High School band.
DNP has been touted in the past by some as a miracle weight-loss drug, but it was banned for use by humans in the 1930s because of its toxicity. As a chemical, dinitrophenol is legally sold as a pesticide and for the manufacture of dyes and wood preservatives.
The death of Perrin was the first in recent years caused by DNP, according to Stewart Magee, regional head of investigations for the Food and Drug Administration.
According to court papers, Perrin contacted Zhang through an encrypted Internet chatroom that is used by bodybuilders interested in illegal drugs.
Zhang was charged under Food and Drug Administration statutes with two counts of selling a drug without proper warning labels. The first count was for allegedly selling the dinitrophenol to Perrin on July 30. The second count was for allegedly selling it to an undercover federal agent on Sept. 8.
Zhang moved from Gaithersburg, Md. to Bloomington, Ind., shortly after Perrin died, but the indictment does not link the move to Perrin's death.
Neither Zhang nor his attorney could be reached to comment. If convicted, Zhang could face up to 6 years in prison.
Sources said Zhang was not charged with more serious crimes because there was no evidence he knew the drug would cause Perrin's death.
After Perrin died, Zhang continued to sell DNP over the Internet, saying it was "the most effective tool available today for the loss of body fat," according to U.S. Attorney Alan Vinegrad. Authorities said the death was reported in the Internet chat room that Zhang used, but they did not say whether Zhang knew of the death.
"Zhang's indictment and arrest should send a clear message to those who would profit from the sale of unapproved drugs," Vinegrad said. "We urge everyone not to use this drug as a weight loss remedy or ingest it for any reason."
Vinegrad said the Food and Drug Administration had set up a phone number for questions about DNP: 301-827-6250.
Copyright © 2001, Newsday, Inc.
. Then they turn around and have charges filled against the supplier, how about some charges against the parents.
