IFBB pro bodybuilder Victor Martinez was unfairly subjected to a “witch hunt” by an inaccurate article appearing in the New York Daily News. Sports writer Christian Red inaccurately reported that Victor Martinez owned the Gurabo Supplement Store in the Dominican Republic when, in fact, Martinez does not have any ownership interest nor does he receive any monetary benefits from the supplement store. Daniel Ferreira, an attorney for Martinez, formally requested a correction in a letter to Christian Red of the Daily News to set the record straight.
Mr. Martinez’s posters are displayed in the store. The posters are for the supplements line Mr. Martinez endorses in the United States. By way of background, Mr. Martinez was invited as a guest poser to an event conducted by the Dominican Bodybuilders’ Federation. The Gurabo store, a sponsor of the event, requested that Mr. Martinez’s appear at the store and promote his supplements line. Your article somehow bestowed an ownership interest on to Mr. Martinez from the display of his posters of a supplements line from the United States in the Gurabo store. Your story lacks any credible evidence; I am very confident that you were not shown any documentation that supports your blanket assertion that Mr. Martinez is the owner of the Gurabo store.
The “irresponsible reporting” represents the most recent type of witch-hunt to target Victor Martinez. In 2007, Martinez was unfairly targeted in another type of steroid witch-hunt led by the grandstanding District Attorney David Soares of Albany County. Soares publicly identified Martinez as an “un-indicted co-conspirator” in the Signature Pharmacy steroid scandal; Victor was never charged with a crime after almost two years. The practice of naming unindicted co-conspirators is frowned upon by many in the legal community and unethical, if not unconstitutional. Attorney Daniel Ferreira decries the behavior of David Soares as part of a pattern of prosecutorial misconduct. Read more
Sweta Patel, the third and final party targeted in the Cellular Nucleonic Advantage steroid investigation, has pleaded guilty to one count of criminal diversion of a prescription medication. A sentence of five years probation is expected as a condition of her plea agreement. She joins founder Benjamin Eugene Bolton and Monday Miller who have previously pleaded guilty to felony steroid charges for their role in CNA. All three parties have avoided prison time (”Another guilty plea in steroids probe,” December 3).
”She made sure the patients got what they wanted; she was basically the go-between for the clients and doctors,” said Albany County Assistant District Attorney Christopher Baynes, head of the office’s financial crimes unit.
The CNA case is part of a multi-state, national steroid distribution investigation targeting compounding pharmacies, like Signature Compouding Pharmacy and Applied Pharmacy Services, and anti-aging and longevity clinics, conducted by David Soares and the Office of the Albany County District Attorney. Information leaked to the press from the investigation has linked top IFBB pro bodybuilders to various anti-aging clinics, including Ronnie Coleman (Cellular Nucleonic Advantage in Sugarland, TX) and Victor Martinez (Anti-Aging Centers in Nanuet, NY); no pro bodybuilder has been targeted for prosecution as part of David Soares’ investigation Read more
Albany Times-Union reporter Brendan Lyons’ coverage of the Signature Pharmacy anabolic steroid scandal is being exposed as little more than a public relations campaign created in conjunction with the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. It appears that “Soares’ loyalist” Brendan Lyons obtained most of his inside stories from the District Attorney David Soares’ Director of Operations, Christian D’Alessandro. D’Allessandro happens to be a close personal friend of Brendan Lyons (”Legal Opinions Support Finding Soares Misused Funds,” October 15).
The Times-Union and Lyons, who is said to have a long time association with Christian D’Allessandro, Soares top deputy…
Albany Times-Union Editor Rex Smith has vigorously defended Brendan Lyons’ use of confidential sources, like his best friend Chris D’Allessandro, in the Signature Pharmacy journalistic investigation into the distribution of performance enhancing drugs. Smith stressed the need for “federal shield laws” to give reporters like Brendan Lyons “constitutional protection against divulging his sources.”
But is the public good best served when a veil of secrecy hides the incestuous relationship between the fourth estate and prosecutor’s office? Should such cozy relationships between local newspapers and the District Attorney’s Office be disclosed especially when it results in stories that uncritically promote the agenda of the District Attorney?
Brendan Lyons has long been accused of being the defacto public relations agent of the Albany County District Attorney Office and the publicity-seeking David Soares. This would explain why the Albany Times-Union was oblivious to the incompetence of David Soares in his case against Signature Pharmacy and unaware of potential civil rights violations by David Soares office. Perhaps, the friendships between the Albany Times-Union and the District Attorney’s Office obscured the objectivity of the steroid reporting?
The revelation about the relationship between Brendan Lyons and Chris D’Allessandro definitely reframes questions about Lyons’ investigative journalism into the growth hormone and anabolic steroid scandal Read more
The attorneys for Signature Pharmacy have requested a court hearing to defend patients against violations of due-process rights by the State of Florida. The State of Florida sent out letters to thousands of clients who have had prescriptions filled by Signature Pharmacy; they were notified that their prescription records had been seized by the State and subject to review by the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution (”Signature Pharmacy sues prosecutors in ‘07 case,” October 12).
On another matter, attorneys for Signature also requested a hearing before Osceola Circuit Court Judge John Marshall Kest about the pharmacy’s clients. The state wants to examine prescriptions filled by Signature and sent letters to several thousand clients.
According to the motion filed, the state did not date the letters but told the clients they had 30 days to respond. Signature attorneys filed an objection, saying it violates the patients’ due-process rights.
The letters have alarmed many clients of Signature Pharmacy since private medical records seized from Signature Pharmacy have previously been “leaked” to the media by prosecutors in a concerted effort to smear and embarrass prominent individuals as part of a steroid witch-hunt Read more
Prosecutors representing the State of Florida and Albany County (New York) methodically planned to prosecute Signature Pharmacy in two separate steroid investigations in a manner that would deprive the defendants of protections against double jeopardy according to court documents.
William N. Shepherd, the Statewide Prosecutor for the Florida Attorney General, and David Soares and Christopher Baynes, prosecutors for the Albany County District Attorney’s Office in New York allegedly had a secret in-person meeting where they specifically planned complex legal proceedings in two jurisdictions to make it more difficult for Signature to defend itself. The plan was detailed in a report by Mark Haskins, an investigator with the New York Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, who worked with Albany County District Attorney David Soares in the Signature Pharmacy steroid investigation.
Signature Pharmacy has filed a lawsuit against District Attorney David Soares and the Albany County District Attorney’s Office over its steroid investigation entitled “Operation Which Doctor.” The Signature Pharmacy steroid scandal implicated numerous professional athletes and entertainers including top pro bodybuilders. Several months later, an Albany County judge dismissed the criminal indictments against the principals at Signature Pharmacy due to the incompetence of prosecutor David Soares.
Signature Pharmacy and its owners, Stan and Naomi Loomis, allege that David Soares illegally operated outside his jurisdiction in the steroid investigation and prosecuted them without probable cause; Signature Pharmacy further alleges that David Soares is a political opportunist who flew in an Albany Times-Union reporter and tipped off local media to cover an unnecessary steroid raid that was clearly designed as a photo op to promote Soares’ celebrity during an election year Read more
Albany County District Attorney David Soares spent millions of dollars in taxpayer money on a steroid witch-hunt against athletes and entertainers. The nation’s steroid hysteria facilitated extensive news and media coverage of the sensationalistic outing of steroid users. The lack of true investigative journalism allowed a corrupt, fraudulent and incompetent prosecutor to gain national headlines as an anti-steroid crusader while recklessly misusing his political office.
Is it any wonder that our country is in deep economic trouble given that our news gatekeepers have obsessed over the use of anabolic steroids by professional athletes and entertainers rather than investigate the fraud, corruption, and incompetence of government blowhards spearheading the steroid witch hunt?
Steroid legal expert Rick Collins of Collins, McDonald and Gann forwarded a local editorial suggesting the popularity of the political opportunist known as David Soares is rapidly sinking. The dismissal of the Signature Pharmacy steroid case is the apparently the least of David Soares problems.
Albany County District Attorney David Soares was so preoccupied with the Signature Pharmacy steroid investigation in FLORIDA, the APS Pharmacy investigation in ALABAMA and numerous longevity clinics in states around the country, he was too busy to prosecute over 322 felons who had to be released from jail in HIS OWN DISTRICT in Albany County. Many of his constituents now feel that Soares should spend more time prosecuting local cases and less on the national steroid investigations Read more
A judge dismissed the criminal indictments against the principals in the Signature Pharmacy steroid distribution case citing the incompetence of Albany County District Attorney David Soares. Soares is the lead prosecutor for a small county in New York who had taken it upon himself to spend possibly millions of dollars of Albany residents taxpayer money to carry on a nationwide steroid witch hunt dubbed “Operation Which Doctor“. Critics of the steroid witch hunt, opponents of anti-steroid legislation and voices in Albany law enforcement have long been critical of David Soare’s incompetence.
The ruling means that prosecutor David Soares can no longer seek charges against Stan and Naomi Loomis, the Signature Pharmacy owners, pharmacist Michael Loomis or Signature Pharmacy employees Kirk Calvert and Anthony Palladino.
Brendan Lyons and the Albany Times-Union have received a lot of praise and acclaim for their “investigative journalism” in the coverage of the Signature Pharmacy steroid distribution scandal. Admittedly, they do a throrough job of covering the Albany-based investigation initiated by District Attorney David Soares. But the reporting is anything but well-balanced serving as little more than a public relations branch of the Albany County District Attorney’s Office.
I do not understand how becoming the bedfellow of a publicity-seeking prosecutor David Soares and the unofficial Albany County District Attorney Office PR agent qualifies as “investigative reporting.” Does this represent the current state of what is valued in investigative journalism? (”Investigative journalism still thriving in Albany,” April 2) Read more
The supply of pharmaceutical quality nandrolone decanoate by prescription is becoming very limited within the United States. Watson Pharmaceuticals was the only pharmaceutical company producing Deca Durabolin (nandrolone decanoate) in the U.S. It was available by prescription and could be obtained at most pharmacies around the country.
Watson claimed that Deca Durabolin was discontinued in March 2007 because the raw ingredients were no longer available from the FDA-approved supplier of the powder (”AIDS activists upset by dropped wasting drug,” April 19, 2007).
Patricia Eisenhaur, director of investor relations for Watson Pharmaceuticals, confirmed that Deca-Durabolin, also known as nandrolone decanoate, an anabolic steroid prescribed by physicians to combat AIDS wasting, was discontinued on March 20.
According to Eisenhaur, the active ingredient to manufacture the drug was no longer available from the Food and Drug Administration-approved supplier. Eisenhaur was unable to provide the name of the supplier, which was the only approved manufacturer of the active ingredient.
Obviously, those familiar with black market androgens know that there is no nandrolone decanoate powder shortage. Nelson Vergel of the HIV Blog explains the real reasons why Watson discontinued production (”Important information about nandrolone in the U.S.” March 17).
The decision from the manufacturer (Watson) to stop making nandrolone decanoate (an effective injectable medicine to treat unintentional weight loss and to increase muscle mass) was based on economics and political pressure.
Watson stopped making it because:
- It is a generic CHEAP drug
- They can sell expensive Oxandrin instead. Oxandrin is approved for unintentional weight loss but costs $1200 a month and can cause liver toxicity in some.
- Nandrolone’s indication is for anemia and no doctor uses it for that purpose, so they prescribe it legally off label.
- Congress and the DEA are treating anabolics like the treat crack-cocaine and are closely watching every prescriber’s and manufacturer’s move. No HIV doc has ever got in trouble since many studies have shown nandrolone’s benefit and can justify its medical use. However, inexperienced HIV doctors who have not been around long enough to know its history shy away from prescribing due to the bad publicity and misconceptions around these medicines.
Nandrolone decanoate is still available [link removed] from a few compounding pharmacies. However, under extreme federal pressure resulting from the steroids in sports scandals, fewer and fewer compounding pharmacies are willing produce nandrolone medications. As a result, compounding pharmacies are quickly dropping nandrolone decanoate.
Applied Pharmacy stopped all production due to DEA pressure. Some compounders are making doctors sign a waiver to say they will not prescribe nandrolone for non medical uses. Some doctors feel this represents extra liability.
Applied Pharmacy is a compounding pharmacy that provided pharmaceutical quality anabolic steroid and hormone preparations to customers with medical prescriptions. They became the target of a federal probe resulting from prosecutor and political opportunist David Soares’ far reaching steroid scandal investigation. They stopped production of all anabolic steroids as a result.
Prosecutors have re-opened the case of anti-aging doctor Ramon Scruggs in an effort to find more baseball players who have used anabolic steroids (”Inquiry Into Doctor May Link Players to Drugs,” March 12). In June 2004, Dr. Scruggs was formally accused of prescribing steroids and ancillary medications without justification over the internet to patients who he did not physically examine. He settled his case with the State of California in August 2006.
In the settlement, Scruggs agreed the state could prove the charges and accepted a $4,800 fine and 35 months of probation: during that time he is required to have an outside monitor, take various courses and cease prescribing over the Internet. The settlement was agreed to in August 2006 and took effect in March 2007.
Dr. Scruggs prescribed steroids to professional baseball players Troy Glaus and Scott Schoeneweis in 2003 and 2004. In the fall of 2007, this information was leaked to the media by the office of District Attorney David Soares which is leading the investigation of the steroid scandal involving Signature Pharmacy.
Shortly after IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Victor Martinez won the 2007 Arnold Classic, Albany County District Attorney David Soare’s office publicly named Victor Martinez as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Signature Pharmacy and longevity clinic anabolic steroid scandal. Clearly, the intent and timing of the announcement represented a calculated grandstanding opportunity for David Soares to tarnish Governor Arnold Schwazenegger’s association with professional bodybuilding.
But over a year later, the Office of the Albany County District Attorney continues to prominently display Victor Martinez’ name and picture on its website in a diagram of Operation Which Doctor. He is listed with 23 other individuals directly involved in the Signature Pharmacy and longevity clinic steroid scandals. However, I believe Victor is the only individual listed who has not been indicted. But no where is he identified as an “unindicted co-conspirator” allowing visitors to make their own uninformed assumptions.
The co-owner of Lowen’s Pharmacy has apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head; New York Police Department (NYPD) investigators maintain it was a suicide even though the victim was also shot in the chest.
Six NYPD police officers, most of whom worked out at Dolphin Fitness near Lowen’s, have been under instensive internal affairs investigations for improperly obtaining anabolic steroids from Lowen’s Pharmacy. Lowen’s Pharmacy has been raided on two separate occasions by narcotics officers working with the office of New York’s Albany District Attorney David Soares. These raids resulted in the seizure of over $7 million worth of growth hormone from China as well as $200,000 worth of various anabolic steroids, including testosterone, nandrolone and stanozolol; records seized showed that about $30 million in steroids and growth hormone were funneled through “longevity clinics” in Florida.
Lowen’s Pharmacy has ties to the Gambino crime family. Julius Nasso, Jr. is a part owner of Lowen’s Pharmacy; his father owns the building where Lowen’s is located at the corner of Bayshore Drive and 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn. The father of Julius Nasso, Jr. was a former pharmacist turned movie producer who served prison time for conspiring with the Gambino family to extort money from actor Steven Segal; the uncle of Nasso, Jr. owns a drug company and was sentenced for labor racketeering.
It appears that the federal government is mounting a case against Applied Pharmacy Services (APS) based in Mobile, Alabama. APS has been target of a federal probe for several years although no one has yet been charged with a crime.
However, in court documents provided to MESO-Rx indicate federal investigators believe APS was part of a conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids:
[A]n illegal conspiracy to dispense and distribute anabolic steroids, which are Schedule III controlled substances, human growth hormone (HGH) and other drugs, outside the usual course of professional medical practice.
The alleged conspiracy includes Applied Pharmacy Services, Inc. with Samuel Kelley and Jason Kelley identified as major shareholders involved in the day-to-day operations of the pharmacy.
Also named in the conspiracy is Brett Branch, an APS sales rep and owner of Infinite Health in Eaton, Colorado. Brett Branch is accused of recruiting local physicians to write steroid prescriptions for customers of his clinic as well as recruiting customers from gyms around Eaton, Colorado; Branch also allegedly received commissions on each steroid prescription dispensed to customers of Infinite Health. Colorado physicians identified include Kenneth Olds, M.D., Kelly Tucker, M.D. and Scott Corliss, M.D. Dr. Tucker subsequently invested in Infinite Health to become a co-owner with Branch.
A raid on APS in December 2006 originated with Albany District Attorney David Soares. However, the federal investigation and alleged conspiracy charges are separate from the New York state investigation.
