The girlfriend of one of the co-defendants in the Brandon Millay (Kong Labs) steroid case has been indicted by a federal grand jury for hiding anabolic steroids from federal agents during the investigation. Mary Kay Hamilton, along with her boyfriend Jimmie Lynn Garrison, allegedly “concealed and covered up anabolic steroids from United States Postal Inspection Service and Food and Drug Administration agents investigting the illegal distribution of anabolic steroids” according the additional charge filed by federal prosecutors on July 8, 2009. Hamilton allegedly helped Garrison obstruct the federal investigation on or about May 6, 2008 shortly after the Brandon Millay steroid ring was busted in April 2008 (”Owensboro couple charged in steroid investigation,” July 9).
Jimmie Garrison was indicted along with three other co-conspirators in December 2008 on various steroid-related charges. Brandon Millay, the alleged ringleader, is the only defendant to have pleaded guilty thus far; Millay has agreed to completely and truthfully cooperate with the government by testifying before any grand juries and trials upon demand.
Mary Hamilton initially appeared to have escaped prosecution. However, federal prosecutors decided to include her name in the superceding indictment shortly before Brandon Millay was scheduled to be sentenced and prior to the other co-defendants going to trial.
It is unclear why the U.S. Attorney’s Office waited so long to indict Hamilton although the federal government has been known to intimidate and pressure the families of defendants. In some steroid cases, federal prosecutors have been accused of using spouses and girlfriends as bargaining chips to influence cooperation, testimony and/or plea agreements by defendants.
Christian Navoy was sentenced to 27 months in prison, 3 years probation and ordered to forfeit assets worth almost $2 million dollars by U.S. District Judge B. Avant Edenfield on March 31, 2009. Navoy operated a research chemical company that sold bodybuilding ancillary products. Navoy pleaded guilty to a single count of “conspiracy to introduce misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, to sell drug paraphernalia [anabolic steroid accessories], and to commit mail fraud”. Navoy’s guilty plea and forfeiture reportedly assured the freedom of wife Jennifer Navoy who had faced similar charges. The government has dropped all charges against Jennifer Navoy; she will walk away with no criminal history after the completion of one year of pre-trial diversion. A review of the case provides insight into how the government is cracking down on steroid and ancillary drug use in bodybuilding community.
Chris Navoy and Jennifer Navoy owned and operated ResearchChemist.com which sold various ancillary drugs and bodybuilding products such as Clomiphene, Sildenafil, Finasteride, Letrozole, Tamoxifen, and Vardenafil as well steroid conversion kits. Navoy did NOT sell anabolic steroids or controlled substances nor did authorities seize any illegal steroids during the execution of search warrants contrary to news stories, police statements, and government court documents. The case solely involved “research chemicals” and “conversion kits”. Many individuals in the bodybuilding community have closely followed this potentially precedent-setting case for the legality of “research chemical” sales.
Chris Navoy’s plea agreement kept the case from going to trial and providing definitive rulings on the legality of bodybuilding research chemicals. The judgment in the case of the United States of America vs. Christian J. Navoy does not necessarily make the sale of research chemicals illegal in the United States. What we do know for certain is that the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has started investigating research chemicals which are not normally under their jurisdiction.
