Feds: Collegeville man accused in canine cancer drug scheme

PHILADELPHIA » A Collegeville man who allegedly promised to restore the health of terminally ill dogs and defrauded pet owners of thousands of dollars in the process faces charges in federal court.

Jonathan Nyce, 70, was indicted in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia on charges of wire fraud and the interstate shipment of misbranded animal drugs arising from an alleged years-long scheme to defraud pet owners of money by falsely claiming to sell canine cancer-curing drugs.

The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain.

“The defendant’s alleged conduct here is shameful,” McSwain said. “As any dog owner will tell you — myself included — pets quickly become part of the family. And when they become sick, caring owners look for hope, often doing everything they can to keep their beloved pets alive and well.

“The defendant is charged with taking advantage of that nurturing instinct in the worst way possible by defrauding pet owners and giving them false hope that they might be able to save their dying pet. That is both cruel and illegal, and now the defendant will face the consequences,” McSwain added.

According to the indictment, Nyce created several companies beginning in 2012, including “Canine Care,” “ACGT,” and “CAGT,” through which he purported to develop drugs intended to treat cancer in dogs.

Using various websites for the companies, Nyce allegedly marketed the “cancer-curing” medications to desperate pet owners, using the drug names “Tumexal” and “Naturasone,” according to federal authorities.

The websites made numerous allegedly false and fraudulent claims regarding the safety and efficacy of the supposed drugs, including that “Tumexal is effective against a wide variety of cancers,” and, “will almost always restore a cancer-stricken dog’s appetite, spirit and energy!”

Federal authorities alleged the drugs were nothing more than a collection of bulk ingredients from various sources, which Nyce blended together at a facility on Arcola Road in Collegeville.

Furthermore, through email and telephone conversations, Nyce allegedly induced the owners of terminally ill dogs to pay him hundreds or thousands of dollars for the drugs by touting the effectiveness of his products in treating a host of canine cancers. Nyce also told prospective customers that their pets could become part of clinical trials, but in order to do so, they had to pay him large sums of money, according to the indictment.

Nyce’s alleged marketing, sale, and shipment of the drugs in interstate commerce violated the Food and Drug Administration’s Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because the drugs were not approved by the FDA, according to federal authorities. Nyce allegedly even falsely claimed in promotional materials that his company’s research was “funded in part by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.”

If convicted of the charges, Nyce faces a maximum possible sentence of 32 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,250,000.

The case was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher E. Parisi.