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By Alia Shoaib
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A Canadian man has been sentenced to three years in U.S. federal prison for operating a yearslong fraud scheme that used fake weight-loss products, fabricated endorsements and deceptive marketing materials.
The Justice Department said that Michel Poirier, 60, of Montreal, Canada, defrauded consumers and printing companies out of more than $1.2 million.
His sentencing concludes a case that began with a federal indictment filed in 2018 and involved years of extradition proceedings in Canada before he was brought to the U.S.
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Poirier’s case underscores the challenges of prosecuting cross-border fraud schemes, particularly when suspects are based outside the United States and contest extradition efforts.
Decade-Long Fraud Case Finally Ends
Federal prosecutors first charged Poirier in December 2018. He spent years challenging extradition in Canadian courts before the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear a final appeal in 2025, clearing the way for his transfer to the United States.
Poirier was sentenced on June 10 by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley after pleading guilty to mail fraud in March.
Prosecutors said Poirier ran the scheme from 2011 to May 2016 while living in Canada, targeting both U.S. printing companies and consumers.
Inside the Fake Weight-Loss Marketing Operation
According to court records, he used aliases and posed as a direct-mail business to persuade U.S. suppliers to print and distribute advertisements for weight-loss products.
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After printers completed the work, Poirier allegedly paid them with checks drawn on closed accounts or accounts with insufficient funds, before cutting off contact when payment was pursued.
Authorities said the promotional materials included fabricated customer testimonials, endorsements from fictitious doctors and a bogus money-back guarantee, resulting in losses for consumers as well as suppliers.
'Layers of Misrepresentation': Judge Explains Sentence
At sentencing, Conley said Poirier appeared not to fully appreciate the financial and emotional harm inflicted on victims.
The judge cited the scheme's sophistication, with multiple layers of deception lasting for seven years, as key in determining the sentence.
The Price of the Scheme: Prison and Restitution
Poirier was also ordered to pay approximately $1.2 million in restitution to dozens of victims, including both businesses and individual consumers.
Poirier will serve a three-year federal prison sentence and must pay court-ordered restitution. Federal court records do not indicate when he is expected to report to prison or whether he will seek to appeal any aspect of his sentence.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matt Cannon and James Debens.
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