Former employee testifies against ex-boss in drug case

Jace Radke

Thursday, Oct. 28, 2004 | 9:41 a.m.

A federal jury on Wednesday heard from the former employee of a Las Vegas man accused of illegally distributing prescription drugs over the Internet.

Christian Frederic Finze, 46, is alleged to have imported drugs from Germany and sold the drugs to U.S. residents without valid prescriptions for the pharmaceuticals.

Joan Davis, who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in February and was sentenced to 37 months in prison, took the stand against her former employer and said she handled much of the ordering of drugs from Germany for customers in the United States. She said she was uncomfortable with Finze allegedly allowing those without prescriptions to order drugs.

"He told me that it's the customer's responsibility not to order a medication if they don't have a prescription for it," she testitied.

Davis also said that Finze's wife and a friend, who both lived in Germany, would purchase German drugs and then mail them via German mail to the United States. When asked by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Stanish why a carrier like Federal Express wasn't used, Davis said it was because shipping companies routinely check packages and wouldn't have allowed the drugs through.

Finze and Davis were indicted on charges of conspiracy and distribution and importation of controlled substances in December 2002. Much of the underlying criminal complaint in the case is based on the investigation conducted by an undercover agent with the Food and Drug Administration. The agent posed as a customer and allegedly purchased drugs from Finze.

Finze, who operated businesses known as Vinci-Online.com and Vinci American Ltd., is alleged in the indictment to have shipped drugs from Germany to fill Internet orders between October 1998 and May 2002.

The shipments included 7,200 units of Flunitrazepam, also known as Rohypnol, which has become infamous as a date rape drug.

Finze faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine if he is found guilty.