A severe cocaine addiction helped a convicted steroid dealer obtain a more lenient sentence against the objections of Acting United States Attorney Nora Dannehy according to court documents. United States District Judge Mark R. Kravitz shortened the prison sentence of Edwin Porter (operator of Medline Pharmaceuticals sold via Anabolic-Superstore.com) since his “severe addiction to cocaine undoubtedly contributed to Defendant’s poor judgment” of conspiring to distribute anabolic steroids.
Edwin Porter completed a six month inpatient drug treatment program at Recovery House Inc. as a condition of his bond followed by another six months of weekly outpatient substance abuse counseling at Southwest Behavioral Clinic. Consequently, Judge Kravitz granted Porter a downward departure of six months from the Government’s sentencing recommendations of 30-37 months such that Porter was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment at facility that offers a Residential Drug and Alcohol Abuse Program. Read more
Edwin Porter was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison and three years probation for conspiring to distribute anabolic steroids through the underground lab (UGL) Medline Pharmaceuticals. Porter pleaded guilty to conspiring with Tyler Lunn and Matthew Peltz to import more than one kilogram of raw steroid powder from China and manufacture finished oral and injectable steroid products under the Medline Pharmaceuticals label and distribute the steroids over the internet (”Arizona Man Sentenced to 22 Months in Prison for Manufacture & Internet Distribution of Steroids,” December 9).
According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, PORTER conspired with two other Arizona residents, Tyler Lunn and Matthew Peltz, to purchase more than one kilogram of raw steroid powder from China, manufacture anabolic steroids at PORTER’s home or Lunn’s apartment in Phoenix, and distribute them to customers around the country through a MySpace.com profile “anabolic-ss” and an Internet web site they created, www.anabolic-superstore.com. In August 2007, PORTER also instructed another individual to delete emails related to the distribution of anabolic steroids.
Kevin O’Connor, the former United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut originally in charge of the Medline Pharmaceuticals case, made headlines for his public proclamations that he would identify and contact individual customers purchasing steroids from Medline Pharmaceuticals, Superior Labs and other cases prosecuted under Operation Phony Pharm (”Customers Become Focus Of Steroid Probe,” September 27, 2007). Read more
Tyler Lunn, the third of four defendants behind the underground lab Medline Pharmaceuticals has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids. Matthew Peltz and Walter Corey have previously reached plea agreements with prosecutors. The guilty pleas are the result of Operation Phony Pharm initiated by FBI’s Healthcare Fraud Unit in the District of Connecticut in April 2006. The only defendant who has not pleaded guilty is Edwin Porter. Tyler Lunn’s plea agreement was filed on Monday (”Phoenix man pleads guilty to selling steroids,” March 24)
Tyler Lunn of Phoenix was one of four men charged in Connecticut with buying raw steroid powder from China and selling anabolic steroids through a MySpace.com profile and a Web site.
The 28-year-old faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced in New Haven federal court on June 12.
Matthew Peltz was the first to plead guilty in September 2007; he was in charge of internet marketing for Medline Pharmaceuticals on myspace.com/anabolic-ss and anabolic-superstore.com. Read more
