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July 30, 2026 / 4:51 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A federal judge on Thursday sentenced the owner of a peptide company to nearly six years in prison after finding he built a massive business by deceiving customers and selling products that were adulterated with steroids.Matthew Kawa, who ran Paradigm Peptides, pleaded guilty last year to selling unapproved drugs and illegally importing them from abroad. His sentence marks a rare criminal penalty for a seller of peptides that are labeled "for research use," a largely unregulated marketplace that has become a go-to source for many people who look beyond established medical channels for ways to boost their health."You focused on what you wanted to build instead of thinking about the people," U.S. District Court Judge Cristal Brisco said in sentencing Kawa to 70 months in prison, adding that Kawa ignored "numerous warnings" from regulators and left "an incredible trail of harm."Prosecutors estimated that Paradigm had 54,000 unique customers in all 50 U.S. states and in 80 countries. Kawa, 48, agreed to forfeit $5 million in proceeds from the business.Kawa, wearing a gray suit, acknowledged that Paradigm's customers relied on his false statements about the company's products. "I'm deeply sorry I betrayed that trust," he told the court. "I should have asked harder questions and made sure what we did followed the law." Kawa previously declined to comment when contacted by CBS News.
