BOSTON, Mass...A Haverhill woman was charged today in federal court with adulteration of cold medicine purchased from a drug store in Haverhill.

REBECCA DESTEFANO, 26, was charged in an Information with violating various drug adulteration provisions of the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act.

The Information alleges that in October 2010, after obtaining cold medicine that had been purchased from a drug store in Haverhill, DESTEFANO used the cold medicine, refilled the container with liquid dish soap, resealed the container, and returned the adulterated cold medicine to a different Haverhill branch of the same drug store chain for a cash refund.

If convicted on these charges, DESTEFANO faces up to three years in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Mark Dragonetti, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Sternberg of Ortiz’s Health Care Fraud Unit.

The details contained in the Information are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

###