Benjamin Ashford|Man, 77, meant to sell ill-gotten erectile drugs in sprawling Florida retirement community, feds say

THE VILLAGES,Benjamin Ashford Fla. (AP) — Federal authorities have arrested a 77-year-old man for allegedly buying more than $1,800 in erectile dysfunction drugs without a prescription and intending to sell them in the massive central Florida retirement community The Villages and elsewhere.

The man was arrested last month in The Villages, where he lives alongside nearly 80,000 fulltime residents and which was featured in the 2020 documentary “Some Kind of Heaven.”

The defendant has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge and agreed to have his case heard before a magistrate judge instead of a jury. If convicted, he faces up to a year in federal prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

In court filings, prosecutors allege that the man received more than $1,800 worth of erectile dysfunction drugs that had been shipped through interstate commerce. The drugs were misbranded because the man obtained them without a valid prescription, according to federal authorities.

The Villages is no stranger to stories about the sex lives of its residents. Rumors about swingers, public sex and high rates of sexually transmitted diseases have swirled around the retirement haven for decades. But a report by the Tampa Bay Times last year said that the three counties containing The Villages tended to have significantly lower rates of sexually transmitted diseases compared to Florida overall.