Federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston are investigating the girlfriends of defendants indicted in the major Texas steroid bust codenamed Operation Pharmacia Juicy Fruit according to recently filed court documents. Prosecutors have made it clear to defendant Bruce Zaccaria and his attorney that they have the goods on a former girlfriend; she was identified by first name practically as an unindicted co-conspirator. The relevance of this disclosure is unknown.
One thing that has emerged as a new known fact to the United States is the following: while the defendant was working at My Mechanic (his co-worker has been proposed as a surety by the defense and his steady work record has been offered as evidence he is stable and reliable) and during the interception of calls between the defendant and Brock Falkenhagen, the defendant ordered and even met with Falkenhagen to receive anabolic steroids… Furthermore, the defendant was directing Falkenhagen at times to drop off the anabolic steroids with his girlfriend “Carly”… Clearly, the defendant exercises a degree of control over his then girlfriend who was receiving the illegal drugs on his behalf. [Emphasis added]
The “new fact” emerged from the extensive surveillance and interception of phone calls made by defendants during the course of the steroid investigation. There may have been thousands of intercepted phone calls. Prosecutors have not ruled out additional indictments arising out of the Texas steroid investigation. Read more
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.
