Several weeks ago, the Toledo Blade Newspaper in Ohio erroneously identifiedclenbuterol and/or human growth hormone as anabolic steroids in the case of Johnathan Roumaya. Roumaya was sentenced on Monday for the misdemeanor charge of possession of dangerous drugs.
Authorities searched the bar in January as part of the crash investigation and found steroids and syringes in a filing cabinet.
But steroid ignorance is apparently contagious in Toledo, Ohio permeating the local media, attorneys and courts.
The NBC 24 affiliate in Toledo also misidentified clenbuterol and growth hormone as steroids, lifting a description of the drugs (practically verbatim) from a March 8th report by Laren Weber of the Toledo Blade (”Rodeo Bar owner sentenced for possession of drugs,” April 14).
Authorities searched the bar in Jan. and found steroids and syringes in a filing cabinet. The items found were listed as a blister pack containing nine tablets of Clenbuterol, a bottle with liquid Clenbuterol, several vials of the human growth hormone Jintropin, and a bag of syringes. Clenbuterol is a steroid used in meat production that is banned in the US.
Surely, the ABC 13 affiliate in Toledo would accurately identify clenbuterol and growth hormone, right? Maybe not. (”Rodeo Bar owner behind bars,” April 14)
Police found body building drugs, box syringes, and an illegal steroid at the bar during a search.
One of the owners of the Rodeo Bar and Grill pleaded no contest last month to possessing human growth hormone.
Finally! But CBS goes on to paraphrase Roumaya’s attorney who apparently identifies growth hormone as an anabolic steroid! Dohh!
An attorney for Jon Roumaya said he was trying to lose weight, so he used the steroid.
CBS and ABC affiliates in Toledo also report that the courts apparently suffer from steroid ignorance too. “Random steroid drug testing” was a condition of Roumaya’s sentence (even though anabolic steroids were not involved in the case).
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Department in Tampa, Florida sent a SWAT team into a residential neighborhood to arrest an officer for selling 10 tablets of Dianabol (methandrostenolone) to a confidential source (CS). That was the only crime he committed as listed in the criminal complaint.
Philon met with the CS in the parking lot at the CS’ vehicle. During that time, agents were able to observe PHILON give the CS a package and receive money from the CS. The CS was then met by agents where he/she turned over a plastic sandwich bag with 10 pink tablets of Dianabol. The CS stated that when PHILON provided the 10 Dianabol pills to him/her PHILON also gave verbal instructions to CS on how to use the Dianabol pills.
The local media and Sheriff’s Department strongly implied that Philon was involved in a much larger criminal enterprise involving the illegal distribution and diversion of 100,000 tablets of Oxycodone from a pharmacy warehouse. Another deputy was arrested on the same day for his involvement in the Oxycodone drug distribution ring.
I have seen no documents to confirm suggestions that Philon had any involvement in Oxycodone trafficking; apparently his only crime involved the sale of 10 tablets of Dianabol.
However, since the CS (confidential source) was involved in the Oxycodone drug ring and Philon sold Dianabol to the CS, the Sheriff’s Department and local media reported that Philon was arrested as part of the Oxycodone investigation.
There is a big difference between someone selling 10 tablets of Dianabol and a person selling 100,000 tablets of the narcotic Oxycontin. I think it is grossly unfair and irresponsible for the media (and Sheriff’s Department) to tarnish Philon’s reputation by suggesting he was guilty of the latter crime if in fact this is false. (Watch Sheriff Bob White’s press conference outside of Rodney Philon’s home to see what I mean.)
I ask readers to please correct me if I am wrong on the facts in this investigation.
Jesse Abundiz aka Wickedone, the owner of Morning Star Labs, was arrested on March 1, 2008 and charged with possession with intent to distribute 9,468,.24 grams of anabolic steroids. Abundiz purchased medical grade laboratory equipment to set up an underground steroid lab in his mother’s Las Vegas home.
The investigation began 19 months ago when the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol notified the FBI and DEA that Abundiz was using a post office box in Sacramento to receive anabolic steroid powders from China. In December 2007, a search warrant was executed on his mother’s home where the operational underground lab was discovered.
At the residence, investigators apparently found an “operational underground steroid lab” containing controlled substances and lab equipment with a street value of roughly $1 million, the FBI said.
Vials, syringes, beakers, medical-grade vacuum pumps, butte stoppers, label makers and labels reading “Morning StarLabs” reportedly were recovered.
About 400,000 dosage units, or roughly 11 kilograms of controlled substances that included anabolic steroid powders, were recovered at the residence, according to the FBI.
It is unclear whether his mother will be charged or if additional conspiracy charges will be added.
Did you ever wonder how an internet source gets busted? It’s often a textbook process by the feds in many cases. Most sources are not particularly sophisticated. And you usually have a couple of low level sources and partners who flip the bigger internet source. These guys are richly rewarded by our criminal justice system. Court documents provide some insightful details.
It started with the arrest of Jacob Piergiovanni aka “D2K3″ on April 10, 2007. D2K3’s computer revealed he had imported about 2,000 lbs of steroid powder since 2003. D2K3 was busted thanks to a cooperating defendent in Louisiana.
Two weeks later, under instruction from the feds, Piergiovanni used his email account d2k3@cyber-rights.net to place an order for anabolic steroid powders from “Worldwide” at worldwidegrowth@hushmail.com.
On April 26, 2007, FDA Special Agent David Westall used D2K3’s handle and email account to arrange the purchase of 2 kilograms of powder testosterone propionate, testosterone base, and testosterone enanthate from Worldwide for $1600.
On April 28, 2007, Worldwide requested that two payments of $800 be sent via Western Union to Alex Lewis in Ingliss, Florida with identification requirement waived in favor of a test question and answer.
On April 30, 2007, undercover SA David Westall using the handle D2K3 made payment according to Worldwide’s instructions.
On May 21, 2007, Worldwide emailed D2K3 (SA Westall) to inform him that steroid powders arrived from China.
On May 23, 2007, Worldwide shipped the steroid powder to an undercover mailbox in Brunswick, George that SA Westall provided as a shipping address.
On May 24, 2007, just over one kilogram of steroid powder was received at the undercover box. The steroid powder was shipped from Antioch, Tennessee.
At this point, federal investigators knew that Worldwide was not operating alone. Someone else was receiving and remailing steroids for Worldwide. So, they arranged a sting operation to bust Worldwide’s partner in Tennessee.
On May 25, 2007, SA Westall asked if Worldwide would be willing to receive steroid shipments from China on his behalf. SA Westall did not want to use Worldwide’s source but wanted to use his own Chinese steroid supplier.
Worldwide agreed to receive 2 kilograms of steroid powder from SA Westall’s China powder source and remail it to SA Westall (still operating under D2K3 handle). The fee for this service was $350 payable via Greendot pre-paid Visa/Mastercard.
On May 28, 2008, SA Westall purchased a Greendot card at CVS Pharmacy and emailed the card number to Worldwide.
SA Westall then requested a mailing address from Worldwide where the Chinese steroid powder could be shipped.
SA Westall then made an undercover purchase of steroid powder from a Chinese supplier of anabolic steroids identified as “top_hormone”. We believe this is well-known spammer Andy Xu who spammed various bodybuilding message boards using the following email addresses and websites:
On May 29, 2007, Worldwide told SA Westall to have the Chinese steroid supplier ship the steroids to Jeff Beaty’s home address; Worldwide unknowingly gave up his partner, including real name and home address, to the feds.
SA Westall paid “top_hormone” $1217 for two kilograms of powder steroids.
On May 30th and May 31, 2007, “top_hormone” shipped two kilograms of powder steroids via expedited delivery in two shipments to Jeff Beaty aka “The Priest” in Antioch, Tennessee.
On June 2nd and June 4, 2007, both packages of steroids arrived at the Nashville, Tennessee post office.
On June 4, 2007, federal agents executed an anticipatory search warrant at Jeff Beaty’s house where they found the two kilograms of steroid powder from top_hormone. The next day they were surprised to see another shipment arrive from China containing 100 vials of growth hormone along with a FedEx envelope with $2300 cash.
Federal agents learned that Beaty received steroids and growth hormone from China and remailed them on behalf of Worldwide. In addition, Beaty was responsible for the receipt of payments for internet steroid sales and wiring payment to Chinese suppliers of steroids and growth hormone on behalf of Worldwide.
“The Priest” gave investigators Worldwide’s phone number. The feds subpoenaed phone records and learned that the phone number was the home phone registered to Matthew Jack (subsequently identified as the father of Worldwide) in Homosassa, Florida. The feds learned that David Paul Jack aka Worldwide lived with his mom and dad at that residence.
On June 14, 2007, a search warrant was executed at the home of Worldwide’s elderly mother and father in Homosassa, Florida. His parents confirmed their son had several Greendot cards in various different names, they identified their son’s voice in voice messages left on Jeff Beaty’s phone, and permitted investigators to review their caller id box where Jeff Beaty’s phone number appeared multiple times. The stated they did not know Beaty and their son was the only other person in the household who made and received phone calls.
David Paul Jack’s girlfriend gave up all the fraudulent names and identities used for Greendot cards and his internet handles including “bjbowden”. She told investigators that Worldwide also had a partner in California in addition to the “The Priest” in Tennessee.
“The Priest” continued to cooperate with federal investigators and allowed the feds to use his online identity in ongoing correspondence with Worldwide.
The Outcome
All three people involved face similar steroid distribution and conspiracy charges, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids. They all faced up to 5 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
David Paul Jack aka “Worldwide” and “bjbowden” pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. He was sentenced to 48 months in prison on December 18, 2007. In exchange, he got to choose which prison he would serve his sentence. His 15-month old daughter is now being raised by his parents.
Jacob Piergiovanni aka “D2K3″ pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. He was sentenced to 5 years probations on December 10, 2007 in exchange for his cooperation with the feds.
Jeff Beaty aka “The Priest” pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. He was sentenced to 5 years probation on February 15, 2008 in exchange for his cooperation with the feds.
NPC bodybuilder Joseph Mobareki was arrested by investigators from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department after they discovered vial(s) of anabolic steroids in his car after he was pulled over for speeding. This led to a search warrant for his house and a storage facility. Police discovered 30,000 pills and 100 vials of anabolic steroids.
Police arrested Mobareki on one count each of possession and dealing marijuana, six counts of possessing a controlled substance and seven counts of dealing those drugs.
Police have been monitoring his activities at the Center Grove Health Club in Greenwood, Indiana where Mobareki worked as a personal trainer.
Mr. Indiana Joseph Mobareki has competed in various amateur bodybuilding contests since 2000, including NPC Indiana Bodybuilding Championships, IFBB North American Championships, NPC USA contest and NPC Junior Nationals.
Real journalists are supposed to rely on verifiable facts when writing news stories. Michael Brick of the New York Times appears to be guilty of sloppy fact-checking in his coverage of the federal steroid investigations down in Texas.
A black Hummer pulled into the Hooters parking lot as dusk fell. Arthur Dale Atwood, a professional bodybuilder with a 61-inch chest, opened the tailgate for a police informant to deliver more than 100 bottles of fake drugs made from vegetable oil.
The story implies that Art Atwood was selling and dealing “fake” steroids. Court documents which provide details of the sting operation indicate that federal investigators gave the police informant fake steroids in place of real steroids as part of the Atwood sting operation. “Fake” steroids are often used in sting operations to establish conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute.
Furthermore, the police informant involved in the federal steroid sting operation was Art Atwood’s best friend; Atwood had no reason to suspect he was being sold fake steroids. His best friend had been acquiring steroids from David Jacobs who was distributing legitimate steroids imported from China according to independent sources.
Prosecutors could have tried Atwood and Jacobs on multiple counts of drug conspiracy, seeking to make an example of two bodybuilders suspected of distributing steroids. But instead, they made deals that could keep both men from serving any prison time.
Art has informed MESO-Rx that he had not entered into a plea agreement with federal investigators and the New York Times assertion of such a deal was categorically false. Atwood has not been charged with a crime and it remains to be seen if charges are filed against him for his involvement.
Atwood and Jacobs were enlisted to cooperate in Operation Raw Deal, the federal government’s most aggressive drive yet to interrupt the importation and traffic of performance-enhancing drugs through nutrition stores, gyms and Web sites. In September, authorities in 10 countries coordinated the arrests of more than 120 people, seized more than $6 million and collected 11 million steroid doses, 3 boats and dozens of weapons.
While the Texas investigation is a complex and interconnected case, Atwood explains that his involvement in the case is different from Jacobs; Atwood does not have the same connections e.g. with NFL football players, nor does he have a plea agreement with prosecutors assuring him that he will avoid jail time. The facts involving Atwood’s case are significantly different and will be judged independently, contrary to suggestions by the New York Times of similarities between the Atwood and Jacobs cases. As he told the local CBS affiliate, “David did his own thing; I was my own entity.”
Through the summer, six other people connected to Atwood and Jacobs were arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute steroids. Most have pleaded guilty to the federal distribution charge. In interviews, investigators and defense lawyers described the six as bodybuilders who were supplied by Atwood and Jacobs and who were familiar with one another partly through competitions and mostly through online sales.
The New York Times implies that six bodybuilders were arrested as the result of Art Atwood’s cooperation with federal investigators. Atwood strongly denies the truth of this allegation; the implication that they were “turning people in left and right” is untrue. Furthermore, none of the six indicted co-conspirators of David Jacobs have accused Atwood as being responsible for their arrests.
While the parties affected by the federal steroid investigation in Texas are restricted by what they can say to the press by legal considerations, the full truth and details of this large scale investigation will become a matter of public record soon - most likely upon sentencing of the parties involved. MESO-Rx tries to provide additional information as it becomes available but the details are incomplete and we should be cautious before we rush to judgment in the absence of all of the facts.
Flex Online reports that all felony and misdemeanor steroid and controlled substance charges against Hidetada Yamagishi were dismissed except for one misdemeanor count of possession of Viagra without a prescription which Hide pleaded no contest. This is the best possible outcome for Hide according to his attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley.
I met with Mr. Lynch who is the Head Deputy of the District Attorney’s office yesterday… I presented him a packet of materials. Not only declarations from people indicating that there was no way in the world that the amount of steroids that he possessed was for distribution but also…a lot of character letters. Also, our concern is what is going to happen in the immigration court. We had an extensive letter from the immigration attorney talking about what is likely to happen in the immigration proceedings. I wanted the DA to consider all of these things because this is a great guy, a great competitor and a great athlete who had no intention of selling or distributing any of these compounds. And he is also going to have to face a number of serious consequences with regard to immigration and with regard to whatever sponsorships he has. So I wanted to take all of that into consideration and assess what made sense.
Hide Yamagishi has been released from the custody of the State of California and transported into federal custody at the Federal Correctional Institute in San Pedro, California. It is uncertain whether he will be able to remain in the United States after he appears in immigration court. He may be deported immediately to Japan where he will have to try to re-establish his travel visa.
Masters bodybuilding competitor Mark J. Sangiuliano (aka Marc Sangiuliano) was arrested and charged with “second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance” identified as anabolic steroids. MSNBC reports that Marc was arrested by federal authorities; however, the ABC television affiliate in Louiseville, Kentucky WHAS-TV reports that deputies from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department arrested Sangiuliano at his home in St. Matthews, Kentucky. Court records show an arraignment scheduled for February 5, 2008 in the case of Commonwealth of Kentucky vs. Mark J. Sangiuliano.
Sangiuliano told WHAS-TV that the steroids were for personal use only and that the trafficking charged was related to fertility medications and had nothing to do with bodybuilding; he also stated that he could not afford to obtain from a physician:
The whole thing revolves around me and my wife trying to get pregnant. It has nothing to do with athletics or steroids.
Hidetada Yamagishi’s defense attorney provided court documents to Flex Online including details of steroid-related charges against him. The court documents provide details of the anabolic steroid stack imported by IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Hidetada Yamagishi when he was arrested on his arrival in the United States to compete in the 2008 IFBB Iron Man Pro and 2008 IFBB Arnold Classic as well as other pro bodybuilding shows:
Flex Online spoke with the attorney for Hidetada Yamagishi and confirmed the steroid-related charges against Hide that we first learned over three weeks ago from Muscletime. Allan Donnelly writes:
Yamagishi is charged with six felonies and three misdemeanors.
The felonies are: unlawful possess for sale and purchase for sale a controlled substance, trenbolone; unlawful possess for sale and purchase for sale a controlled substance, testosterone; unlawful possess for sale and purchase for sale a controlled substance chorionic gonadotropin; unlawful possess for sale and purchase for sale of a controlled substance mesterolone; unlawful possess for sale and purchase for sale of a controlled substance, oxandrolone; unlawful transport, import into the state of California, sell, furnish, administer and give away and offer to transport, import into the State of California, sell furnish, administer and give away, and attempt to import into the State of California and transport a controlled substance trenbolone, chorionic gonadotropin, testosterone, mesterolone, oxandrolone and stanozolol.
Shawn Chapman Holley, Hide’s defense attorney, confirmed that the amount and quantity of anabolic steroids and ancillary drugs found in Hidetada’s luggage at LAX was consistent with personal use for a competitive bodybuilder.
It’s clear that the quantity of steroids at issue is consistent with personal use and far less than one would expect to see in a case of sales. Moreover the quantity is consistent with what one would expect to see for a bodybuilder with the competition schedule Hide had posted on his Website before his arrest.
The State of California is apparently abusing misusing the law by attempting to prosecute Hidetada Yamagishi as a distributor of anabolic steroids; Hidetada clearly had no intent to sell steroids only to compete in professional bodybuilding competitions.
California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, knows a thing or two about the quantity and type of anabolic steroids and ancillary drugs included in precontest bodybuilding steroid stacks. He could easily confirm that the steroid stack imported by Hide was consistent with personal use by a professional bodybuilder. Someone should appeal directly to Arnold Schwarzenegger and ask that he explain this to California prosecutors.
There is a good chance that Hide’s defense attorney will be able to do the same and reach a plea agreement to misdemeanor charges on behalf of Hidetada Yamagishi.
I am hopeful that on February 6th we will have worked out a deal where, hopefully he will plead guilty to a misdemeanor count and be placed on summary probation with credit for time served and that will be the end of the criminal case.
Nonetheless, it is terrible that Hide will have spent no less than 8 weeks incarcerated on trumped up charges.
