Archives for April 2011

Apr
30

Baseball Player Tries to Escape Steroid Stigma

Baseball player Jay Gibbons is playing Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers almost four years after his dismissal from the Baltimore Orioles following steroid allegations. Gibbons believed his dismissal was related to the allegations concerning his use of performance-enhancing drugs although Orioles management claims the decision was unrelated. He wrote an emotional letter to all MLB baseball teams asking for a second chances. Gibbons feels he has finally surmounted the steroid stigma with his second chance in the Majors. [Read more…]

Apr
29

Doctor Avoids Charges in Oklahoma Bodybuilding Steroid Investigation

Tulsa County physician Dr. Gary Lee reached an agreement with the local district attorney to avoid prosecution over allegations that he prescribed anabolic steroids to competitive bodybuilders “for the purpose of building muscle bulk and muscle enhancement.” Lee pleaded “not guilty” to the charges in February 2010. Under the terms of the agreement, Dr. Lee maintains his not guilty plea but agrees to a two-year supervision period by the district attorney’s office after which the felony charges will be dismissed. [Read more…]

Apr
28

Six Degrees of Separation Connect Everyone to a Steroid Dealer

Remember Terri Schiavo? The Terri Schiavo case was a highly publicized and politicized 7-year legal battle regarding the removal of the feeding tube for a woman in a persistent vegetative state. Well, her name is back in the news after the North Country Gazette has linked her to an accused steroid dealer. The newspaper sought to prove that only a few degrees of separation separate Americans from a steroid dealer and the subject of an infamous legal battle is no exception. [Read more…]

Apr
27

Philadelphia Police Detective Allegedly Distributing Sciroxx Brand Anabolic Steroids

A major anabolic steroid distribution ring involving at least 15 individuals and three law enforcement officers was dismantled in Philadelphia after an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

The purported ringleader was identified as Philadelphia police Detective Keith Gidelson. Gidelson, along with his wife, allegedly distributed anabolic steroids, human growth hormone (hGH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IFG-1) to fellow Philadelphia police officers, internet customers contacted via bodybuilding forums, and steroid dealers at local gyms and supplement stores. [Read more…]

Apr
26

Canada Project Newton Targets Bodybuilder in Steroids and Methamphetamine Bust

Competitive bodybuilder Reiner Ruska was the focus of an 18-month investigation codenamed Project Newton led by the Hamilton Police Service in Canada. Ruska won the Heavyweight class at the OPA Ontario Provincial Championships in 2007. Ruska, his fiance, brother and 18 other individuals “loosely affiliated with the bodybuilding community” were arrested earlier this month as part of the “Ruska’s criminal organization”.

The steroid bust involved several sports nutrition stores. Reiner Ruska owned Herc’s Nutrition in Hamilton while his brother, Alex Ruska, operated the Herc’s Nutrition store in Stoney Creek. Reiner Ruska also advertised working as a personal trainer at Premier Nutrition in Grimsby. Anabolic steroids and recreational drugs were allegedly sold through these stores. [Read more…]

Apr
25

Steroids Caused Lance Armstrong’s Testicular Cancer According to Ex-WADA Spokesman

Bob Weiner, a former spokesman for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and a former spokesman for the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), recently suggested that anabolic steroids may have caused Lance Armstrong’s testicular cancer. Weiner brought up the dubious link between steroids and testicular cancer during the University of Massachusetts Sports and Drugs Distinguished History Ken Feinberg Lecture on April 20, 2011.

“[W]hy did [Lance Amrstrong] get testicular cancer in the first place at that young age,” Weiner asked those in attendance. “That’s also a symptom of steroid abuse.” [Read more…]

Apr
24

Random Steroid Testing of Portland Police Officers to Begin This Summer

The Portland Police Bureau has plans to implement random anabolic steroid testing for officers beginning in July 2011. Police watchdogs pressured the city to test officers for steroid use after arguing that they caused “abnormal and aggressive behavior”.

The Portland Police Association, a 900-member police union representing Portland law enforcement personnel, and the city reached an agreement that included steroid testing in February but Portland has been unable to find an affordable solution for steroid testing up until now. [Read more…]

Apr
23

One Steroid User in Texas High Schools Discovered by Testing

The Texas University Interscholastic League announced that one student tested positive for anabolic steroids out of 2,083 tests conducted at 135 schools. During the four-year history of the Texas steroid testing program, there have been only 30 confirmed cases of steroid use out of over 50,000 steroid tests administered. In other words, less than 0.0006% of student-athletes tested failed the anti-doping protocol. [Read more…]

Apr
22

Powermedica Defendants Sentenced to Prison

The principals owners and operators of Powermedica have been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and distribution charges related to the sale of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone. The defendants admitted to selling anabolic steroids and human growth hormone for bodybuilding, performance enhancement and anti-aging purposes.

Daniel L. Dailey, the former Chief Executive Officer of Powermedica, was sentenced to 46 months imprisonment while his father William L. Dailey (former President and Chief Operating Officer) was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

The “doctors” responsible for signing the steroid and HGH prescriptions were also sentenced.  James D’Amico, a former licensed dentist, and Manuel Sanguily, a license medical doctor, were sentenced to 51 months and 30 months, respectively.. [Read more…]

Apr
21

Michigan Steroid-Dealer-Turned-Informant Goes Free and All the Steroid Users Are Convicted

A former Paw Paw police officer was sentenced to one-year probation and a small fine after pleading no contest to one count of possession of Fluoxymesterone (aka Halotestin) in a Michigan steroid investigation that targeted law enforcement personnel and gym owners.Robert Kusmack will have the steroid conviction removed from his record after successfully completing probation. Kusmack was fired from the Paw Paw Police Department in May 2010.

Most steroid investigations use small fish to go after the bigger fish. They use steroid users to go after steroid dealers. However, authorities conduct steroid investigations differently in Michigan. [Read more…]