Howard Levine, M.D. of Northwest Lifestyle Medicine was sentenced to almost two years in prison for dealing anabolic steroids out of his Seattle medical office. According to court documents, Levine sold approximately FIFTY – 10mL vials of anabolic steroids (including nandrolone decanoate, stanozolol, testosterone enanthate, trenbolone acetate as well as oxymetholone tablets, human growth hormone, and nandrolone decanoate and testosterone gels) to two undercover agents and a paid DEA confidential source over the course of 18 months. Levine also sold several thousand dollars worth of anabolic steroids to a Las Vegas trainer for local bodybuilders on at least one occasion.
Over the course of the investigation, Dr. Levine was always alone in his medical office; there were no secretaries, nurses, or other administrative support staff present but he had a pool table a refrigerator full of beer. Levine never conducted any sort of medical assessment or history before prescribing steroids. During the course of the investigation, Levine discussed the resale of steroids by his clients including suggested prices. He also told his clients that they were considered drug dealers under the law and suggested that they refer their customers to him to avoid the possibility of criminal prosecution; he even offered to pay them a referral fee if they chose to do that.
Search warrants executed on Levine’s MSN and AOL email accounts (seattelmd@hotmail.com and ageisonlyanumber@aol.com) revealed that he sold steroids over the internet using the alias “Alan” where customers paid by credit card; there was no physical examination or medical questionnaire or any semblance of a doctor-patient relationship.
Levine was previously disciplined for selling Viagra over the internet via his company Confirmed.com LLC and ordered to cease selling prescription drugs via email and over the internet.
Levine was sentenced to prison for trying to extort $500,000 from Jack-in-the-Box stating that he was given spoiled chicken and threatening to take his story to the New York Times.
Two of the principals behind the underground lab Pacific Rim Labs (PRL) have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to the manufacturing and distribution of anabolic steroids. Jimmy Ray Jones aka “Jimbo” and Dana Fiscus of Missoula, Montana both pleaded guilty to several counts including conspiracy to “manufacture, possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute anabolic steroids,” “unlawfully importing anabolic steroids” from China, and money laundering. The underground steroid lab did business under a variety of names including Pacific Rim Labs, Big Sky Sports Supplements and Ebay Solutions.
The senior citizen Jones was allegedly the owner of Pacific Rim Labs. Jones’ stepson, Dana Fiscus was in charge of internet sales of steroids, purchasing raw materials from China, and collecting payments from customers via Western Union and Moneygram wires and via mail at a private mail box purchased in his name on Reserve Street in Missoula, MT. Fiscus is married to a police officer in the Missoula Police Department.
The pair were busted after an internet distributor of Pacific Rim Labs in Wisconsin, Kyle Bredl, was arrested for selling $10,000 worth of anabolic steroids including methandrostenolone, stanozolol and oxymetholone to an undercover police officer. A joint steroid investigation between the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Missoula High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force (HIDTA) resulted in their arrests and indictments.
