The role fake Viagra played in a 70-year-old Miami doctor losing his license
SEPT. 15 UPDATE: Dr. Romeu received a stay of revocation from the Third District Court of Appeals while the appeals court decides his appeal of the Florida Board of Medicine’s Final Order. Until the appeals court’s decision, his license is “Clear/Active.”
What a Miami doctor did with fake Viagra earned him a little prison time and his license revoked by the state of Florida.
Dr. Hugo Romeu, 70, wasn’t a Viagra user, at least not in this case. Romeu was a seller and what he sold was a counterfeit version of the erectile dysfunction drug. That’s not a crime. Hiding that what you’re selling is a counterfeit version counts as a crime.
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The indictment in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia says Romeu bought faux Viagra out of Hong Kong. But, Romeu wanted to sell this fake Viagra as actual Viagra.
So, Romeu’s guilty plea says he then created a false transaction statement, dated Oct. 25, 2016. This transaction statement made it appear as if Romeu’s company, Pharmrce, had bought 100 bottles of actual Viagra from Santa Ana, California’s McGuff Company.
The statement allowed Romeu to pass off the fake Viagra from Hong Kong as real Viagra from McGuff, which had no part in Romeu’s fraud. This statement went from Georgia-based Pharmrce to a customer in Brunswick, Georgia, thus the indictment in Brunswick federal court.
“First: [Romeu] knowingly created a false product tracing document concerning the prescription drug Viagra,” his guilty plea said. “Second: [Romeu] provided this false document to his customer. Third: [Romeu] did this with intent to defraud and mislead.”
Romeu pleaded guilty to failure to comply with a product tracing information requirement. He was sentenced to four months in prison, $171,835 in restitution. He was released on May 7, 2021.
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Romeu’s professional discipline history
Romeu had been licensed in Florida since Aug. 16, 1993. His previous troubles hinted at similar dishonesty as his Viagra shenanigans.
Back in 2006, the Florida Department of Health said he provided no records for 101 child patients for whom he billed Medicaid. Of the 146 pediatric patient records he did send, only “a small number” had parent or guardian information.
Florida’s Board of Medicine fined Romeu $10,000; ordered him to pay $6,722 in case costs; take two continuing medical education classes; and do 50 hours of community medical service.
This story was originally published July 20, 2025 at 12:44 PM.
