Man gets 13-year sentence for making counterfeit pills

URBANA, Ill. (AP) - A central Illinois man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for producing counterfeit anti-anxiety pills at his home.

Federal prosecutors alleged Stephan Caamano produced 4.3 million pills in his Champaign home and distributed them through the U.S. mail.

Caamano, 24, pleaded guilty in April to charges he operated a fake Xanax production scheme between March 2017 and May 2018. The charges included distribution of a controlled substance and money laundering.

Caamano apologized before U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm sentenced him Monday, saying having 19 months in custody to think has made him ``sincerely ashamed'ť of his actions.

Prosecutors alleged Caamano imported Alprazolam, the active ingredient in Xanax, and used a pill press in his garage to make tablets that looked like and were close in chemistry to the Pfizer Inc. stock.

Prosecutors asked for a 17 1/2-year sentence for the former University of Illinois graduate student, saying he put lives at risk. Defense attorney Audrey Thompson noted Caamano had a traumatic upbringing and felt isolated when he moved to Champaign, and suffered an ``implosion'ť that was hard to explain.