Two Maryland brothers, Patrick and Charles Boyd, received a combined 38 years in prison for orchestrating a nationwide drug diversion scheme that endangered HIV-positive patients, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Charles, CEO of SafeChain Solutions, and his brother Patrick, managing partner overseeing sales, were sentenced Friday, March 13, 2026, following a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), per an agency press release.
Inside The Boyd Brothers’ Nationwide HIV Drug Fraud
The brothers, owners of wholesale pharmaceutical distributor SafeChain Solutions, allegedly conspired with black-market suppliers to buy HIV medications at steep discounts from unsuspecting patients and then resold them in unsafe conditions, the Justice Department noted.
Evidence presented at trial revealed that the Boyd brothers purchased some of the diverted drugs from patients on the street through “buyback schemes,” repackaged without proper labeling, and shipped in dirty or opened bottles and used cardboard boxes — some of which came from the trash, according to the press release.
“These defendants treated life-saving HIV medication like street contraband,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement. “They bought drugs off the street from black-market suppliers, shipped them in dirty boxes and discarded packaging, falsified paperwork, and pushed those medications back into the legitimate pharmaceutical supply chain. The consequences were real. HIV patients received bottles containing the wrong drugs, and at least one patient lost consciousness after ingesting medication that should never have been in that bottle.”
Many of the diverted HIV drug bottles were dirty, unsealed, and showed obvious signs of prior use, the press release noted. Pharmacies reported to the company that they were receiving bottles containing entirely different medications as early as August 2020, but the complaints did not stop the Boyd brothers’ operations.
Despite warnings from pharmacies and their customers, Patrick and Charles Boyd continued buying cheap HIV drugs from black-market suppliers and selling them with falsified paperwork meant to deceive both buyers and regulators, according to the Justice Department.
Trial evidence showed that the brothers took elaborate steps to hide their criminal activity, even bypassing their own director of compliance, who testified that she repeatedly raised concerns that were ignored, the release said.
Undermining The Pharmaceutical Supply Chain
The brothers purchased and resold over 28,000 bottles of black-market HIV drugs between April 2020 and September 2021, paying over $92.8 million and selling them to pharmacies for profit, per the Justice Department.
Experts testified that missing even a single dose of HIV medication can increase a patient’s viral load and raise the risk of transmission in areas with high HIV infection rates, the press release noted.
Patrick and Charles Boyd “took life‑threatening actions that showed an alarming disregard for human life in service of nothing more than a payday,” said Scott J. Lampert, acting deputy inspector general for investigations, HHS‑OIG.
Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurers were billed for these illicit drugs, according to the Justice Department.
“Their criminal scheme endangered vulnerable patients, put entire communities at risk, and undermined the integrity of Medicare and Medicaid,” Lampert added.
Convicted On Multiple Charges
In October 2025, a jury found the brothers guilty of multiple charges, including conspiracy to introduce misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, conspiracy to traffic in medical products with false documentation, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, per the press release.
Patrick was sentenced to 18 years in prison, while Charles received a 20-year sentence. Both were also ordered to pay $21.85 million in forfeiture, it read.
Adam Brosius, a third defendant, already pleaded guilty to conspiring with the Boyds to commit wire fraud in the scheme, the Justice Department noted. He was sentenced to 97 months in prison.
“Patrick and Charles Boyd did not just commit fraud and cost taxpayers millions of dollars; they preyed upon some of the most vulnerable members of our society: HIV patients who depend on life-saving treatments to manage their disease,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
“Fraud schemes like this one undermine the integrity of our supply chain for necessary prescription drugs. These defendants will rightly spend years in prison for their reprehensible conduct, which took advantage of people for illicit profit,” Duva added.
What Is SafeChain Solutions?
According to its website, the Boyd brothers founded SafeChain Solutions in 2011, growing it from a boutique logistics and wholesale distribution business into a full-service pharmaceutical wholesaler with multiple locations. The company emphasizes its values of honesty, moral courage, and professionalism, among others, promising to operate with integrity and deliver high-quality support.
“As your wholesale distribution specialists, we deliver the support and pharmaceutical care you need when your patients need it most, safely and securely through our supply chain. SafeChain believes your patients and business deserve the best care possible, and we assist in just that,” the website states.
