Ex-doctor sold ‘fat burner’ pills — containing a toxic pesticide chemical, feds say

A retired doctor was found guilty after packaging pills containing a toxic chemical used in pesticides and selling them as a “fat burner” drug online to clients in the U.S. and abroad, federal prosecutors say.

The chemical — dinitrophenol (DNP) — is “extremely dangerous and not fit for human consumption,” the Food and Drug Administration once warned, with potential side effects including dehydration, liver damage and death, court documents show.

William Merlino, 85, of New Jersey, was convicted after he made $54,000 by selling the mislabeled pills, which he made himself in a lab inside his Mays Landing home, according to an Aug. 8 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

His conviction comes after prosecutors say he tried avoiding trial by lying about having pancreatic cancer and faking medical records. Because of this, he now faces obstruction of justice charges, the news release says.

McClatchy News contacted Merlino’s attorneys for comment on Aug. 9 and was awaiting a response.

“This scheme put many people’s health and safety at risk,” U.S. attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said in a statement. “We urge everyone to refrain from ingesting DNP for any reason.”

DNP, which is a yellow powdery substance, is also used to make dyes, wood preservatives and explosives.

‘The yellow man’

Merlino, who is accused of selling his toxic pills on eBay between 2017 and 2019, was nicknamed “the yellow man,” by a witness and their coworkers at a shipping company that he used to mail his product, according to prosecutors.

This is because the workers noticed his skin, nails and clothes would be covered in the yellow DNP powder when he brought in packages for shipment, the news release says.

Beginning in 2017, Merlino sold DNP in both powder and pill form on eBay while fully aware it has not been FDA approved for people to consume, court documents state.

Prosecutors say he marketed the chemical on Twitter, writing that it was “for weight loss,” while adding “It is not legal in US so listed as fertilizer on eBay. #Diet #weightloss.”

In the 1930’s, DNP was a popular weight-loss drug, “despite significant negative side effects”. Then the U.S. government began requiring drugs to be proven safe to consume before they were sold, according to an indictment. The FDA has never approved a drug with DNP as an ingredient to date.

Ultimately, eBay took down Merlino’s DNP listings, so he allegedly began selling the pills through his own website with labeling stating “‘Not For Human Consumption’ or as fertilizer” while intending that people take them for weight loss, according to court documents.

Merlino is accused of mislabeling the pills “to avoid regulatory scrutiny” and mailed them to buyers in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, the indictment states.

Eventually, the FDA became aware of the scheme and after a yearlong investigation, officials searched his home where they found his DNP lab and a pill press, the news release says.

Merlino will face the obstruction of justice charges at another trial scheduled for Sept. 22, court records show.

“Despite the known dangers and its unapproved status, DNP continues to be distributed illegally. It is particularly popular with bodybuilders and athletes because of its ability to affect the body and rapidly lose body fat,” the indictment states.

Mays Landing is roughly 60 miles south of Trenton.

Fake doctor gave patients risky injections and lip fillers, California officials say

Man had over 200 fentanyl pills disguised as prescription painkiller in MA, feds say

Doctor used veterinary catheters on human patients in Illinois for years, feds say

Chloroquine smuggled into US to be falsely sold as coronavirus ‘cure,’ feds say