by Jessica Harper
Thisweek Newspapers

After hearing six weeks of testimony, a jury of seven women and five men found Christopher William Smith guilty Nov. 20 on nine charges of conspiracy, money laundering and illegal distribution of prescription drugs.

Smith, a Prior Lake resident, is one of eight people to be indicted on charges related to operating the Internet pharmacy business.

Smith's former accountant Bruce Jordan Lieberman and former attorney Darrell Arden Griepp were tried at the same time as Smith and found not guilty Nov. 20.

Lieberman served as Smith's accountant, while Adkins acted as his attorney, during Xpress Pharmacy Direct's operation.

The two men claim they did not know the details of Smith's business, including what drugs were sold and to whom, according to a St. Paul Pioneer Press report.

Smith was indicted last year after his Burnsville-based Internet business, Xpress Pharmacy Direct, was shut down by a civil court order.

The 26-year-old high school dropout earned about $24 million in 17 months from selling prescription medications through Xpress Pharmacy Direct without a legitimate prescription, according to court documents.

Xpress Pharmacy Direct customers' obtained prescriptions by filling out online questionnaires, which allowed them to select the type and quantity of prescription drugs they wanted, according to court documents.

The Internet pharmacy's only physician, Dr. Philip Mach, approved of hundreds of prescriptions a day, but never met with customers personally or verified the supposed medical conditions that required them to need the drugs.

Mach, a New Jersey physician, previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and unlawful distribution of controlled substances.

Despite the conviction, Smith maintains his innocence, stating through his attorney, Joseph Friedberg, that federal laws regulating pharmaceutical companies do not apply to Internet pharmacies, according a StarTribune report.

No date has been set for a sentencing hearing at this time. Smith could face a maximum of 20 years in prison.

The Smith case is the federal government's fourth major Internet pharmacy case to earn convictions or plea agreements, according to the StarTribune.

Federal prosecutors and Smith's attorney could not be reached for comment as of presstime.

Comment from anonymous, 12/4/06

Third paragraph says Darrell Griepp was the attorney. That is incorrect.