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AMA Labs, a products testing company in New City, was the heart of a 30-year fraud, prosecutors said. (Google Maps)
NEW CITY, NY The owner of a consumer products testing company in New City accused in a $46 million, 30-year fraud scheme pleaded guilty Tuesday. As he has now admitted, Gabriel Letizia schemed for decades to defraud customers of his laboratory, and caused sunscreens and other consumer products to be sold and marketed to consumers on the basis of false laboratory testing reports, Audrey Strauss, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. Letizia s guilty plea underscores that my Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute fraud and endangerment in the consumer products testing industry.
Former AMA employees David Winne, Mayya Tatsene, Patrycja Wojtowicz, and Kaitlyn Gold pleaded guilty in 2019 in connection with their roles in the scheme, Strauss said. They pleaded to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
AMA tested the safety and efficacy of cosmetics, sunscreens, and other products on specified numbers of volunteer panelists for consumer products companies.
Strauss said Letizia admitted scamming customers during his plea before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Paul Davison at the federal courthouse in White Plains.
“As he has now admitted, Gabriel Letizia schemed for decades to defraud customers of his laboratory, and caused sunscreens and other consumer products to be sold and marketed to consumers on the basis of false laboratory testing reports, Strauss said.