The review article profiles steroid dealer David Jacobs and his introduction to anabolic steroids, his integration into the bodybuilding scene, his networking with pro football players, his decision to import and manufacture anabolic steroids, his steroid bust, the dismantling of the Texas steroid network, and his ostracism from the bodybuilding community (”Plano resident’s steroid distribution ring was one of the largest in U.S.,” April 24).
I recommend reading the complete article for a better understanding of the chronology and scope of the Texas steroid investigation. Below are a few excerpts.
David Jacobs’ decision to manufacture and distribute anabolic steroids:
At Lewisville Lake’s Party Cove one weekend, he met his first pro bodybuilder, Art Atwood. The two became friends, and Mr. Atwood helped train the up-and-coming rookie.
Both men were taking steroids, but were unhappy with shoddy Mexican imports.
Mr. Jacobs went online and found a solution: recipes for steroids using raw Chinese powder. Mr. Jacobs soon parlayed his knowledge of Asia, gleaned during his Nokia business trips, into contacts with English-speaking middlemen to the Chinese steroid powder factories.
Sloppy packaging that led to steroid bust:
On March 19, 2007, the United Parcel Service intercepted a soggy package sent from Mr. Jacobs’ Plano home, bound for Wichita, Kan. When officials opened the box, they found a broken glass vial of what turned out to be steroids.
Authorities arrested the man in Kansas who had ordered steroids from Mr. Jacobs, court documents say. Jamie Mongeau, an amateur bodybuilder, told investigators that Mr. Jacobs was his supplier.
Ostracism from bodybuilding community:
Brian Dobson, owner of Arlington’s MetroFlex gym, which produced eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman and where Mr. Jacobs used to train with other bodybuilding friends, said that since his bust, Mr. Jacobs has been ostracized by the bodybuilding community he once serviced.
“A lot of people hate him,” Mr. Dobson said. “To a lot of the other guys who were his buddies, once he got caught, he became the black plague.”
The full text of the article is available on the Dallas Morning News website.
Tulsa and state undercover officers are investigating whether suspected steroid dealers are selling performance enhancement drugs to high school students.
Mark Woodward, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control’s office in Oklahoma City, said agents have received a significant number of calls in recent months from high school coaches concerned about rapid gains in weight and strength among their players.
Prosecutors have been particularly motivated to search beyond simple evidence of steroid distribution to find links between steroid dealers and high school athletes or professional athletes whenever possible. If they are lucky, they think they can finally find the steroid dealer who sold anabolic steroids and growth hormone to Roger Clemens.
“We have been told by the prosecutors that they do not intend to bring charges against Matt Lehr in connection with their ongoing steroid investigation,” said Paul Coggins in Dallas. “After reviewing the evidence gathered to date, the government reached the right conclusion.”
John Ratcliffe, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, which is conducting the investigation, would not confirm Mr. Coggins’ statement.
“We are actively investigating the distribution of illegal steroids and human growth hormone,” he said. “As a matter of policy, we neither identify nor comment upon persons of interest in ongoing investigations.”
A source close to the steroid investigation told MESO-Rx that the steroids and football investigation is far from over. Whether the ongoing investigation involves Matt Lehr remains to be seen.
A federal investigation in North Texas uncovered one of the largest anabolic steroid distribution networks in the country; evidence seized during the course of the investigation allegedly implicated Matt Lehr. According to the Dallas Morning News and New York Times, a grand jury was convened with subpoenas for at least a couple of NFL players (former and active) to testify against Lehr for alleged steroid distribution in the NFL.
A co-defendant in the Plano steroids trafficking ring linked to a former Dallas Cowboys player has told investigators that he sold performance-enhancing drugs to Shaun Kelley, proprietor of the Houston weight loss clinic recently linked to baseball great Roger Clemens, according to the co-defendant.
The co-defendant indicated that the quantity sold was for personal use, “two or three vials here and there.” A second source close to the case corroborated the co-defendant’s statements.
The co-defendant told federal investigators in North Texas that he sold steroids to Kelley two months prior to the New York Times story linking Kelley with Roger Clemens.
David Jacobs’ six co-defendants include Amber Jarrell, Matt Williams, Brandon Smith, Juan Carlos Ballivian, Andrew Schenck and Jamie Mongeau.
Law enforcement doesn’t usually pursue personal use steroid cases . But it does not take much to turn a personal use steroid case into a “conspiracy to distribute” steroid case (e.g. 10 tablets of Dianabol).
Undercover officers have discovered evidence of steroid use at the fitness center and distribution by either Goodman or other members at the fitness center, according to court records.
That evidence includes syringes, bank statements, computer software, cell phone records and financial records belonging to either Goodman or the fitness center.
A confidential informant has told undercover officers that Goodman was “actively distributing steroids” and that “individuals associated with Physical Edge often use and/or distribute steroids,” according to court records.
NPC bodybuilder Keith Koppenhaver, who last competed at the 2000 NPC Junior Nationals, has also been implicated. Koppenhaver was a personal trainer at Physical Edge (Hi-Octane) and a friend of Chris Goodman.
Undercover officers seized several types of steroids, human growth hormone, insulin and other dangerous, controlled substances from Koppenhaver’s home or property, according to court records.
He has admitted to undercover officers that he sold steroids and never pays taxes from those sales or the money that he receives as a personal trainer, according to court records.
He has identified Goodman and a professional bodybuilder in the Oklahoma City area as his steroid suppliers, according to court records.
Tulsa County District Court records filed Wednesday show that officers recently searched the home and found vials of popular muscle-building steroids and human growth hormone. Among the substances found were testosterone, nandrolone decanate and stanozolol.
Also seized were e-mails to Ducasse “instructing him on bodybuilding drug use,” “handwritten notes regarding steroid cycles,” a “weekly steroid use schedule” and “7 pages of clients,” who are believed to be members of Sky Fitness & Wellbeing, 10121 S. Sheridan Road, according to the court records.
An employee at the fitness center said Friday that Ducasse trains clients at the facility.
The 17-year old Matthew Wong was arrested by the Grapevine Police Department on six count of manufacturing and distributing anabolic steroids. The teenager allegedly made the steroids in his own underground lab on a “quiet street where children play.” Police also arrested 26-year-old Averil Cavazos on steroid distribution charges (”Grapevine police bust alleged steroid operation,” April 14).
“Anybody could be their clients,” said Sgt. Kim Smith with the Grapevine Police Department. “We don’t have any information on who their client base was.”
Police issued a strongly worded warning about steroids.
“It can become addictive and can become dangerous and fatal,” Smith said.
The media and law enforcement continue to remind the public about the fatal dangers of steroids.
The Norfolk County Police Anti-Crime Task Force and Millis Police Department busted Daniel Pease on steroid distribution and steroid conspiracy charges. Pease purchased raw steroid powders from China and manufactured oral and injectable steroids in an underground lab in his apartment.
This was a relatively small-time steroid bust except that authorities discovered a how-to-make-anabolic-steroids instruction list in Pease’ apartment. Authorities revealed that elephant and dog tranquilizers were mixed with other chemicals to magically create anabolic steroids (”Millis man charged with steroid production,” April 14)?!
Detective Domenic Tiberi said more than $5,000 worth of steroids, 300 to 400 syringes and several chemicals, including elephant and dog tranquilizers, were confiscated …
Police believe different chemicals, such as the animal tranquilizers, were mixed together to make the steroids.
Police provided additional insight on the illicit underground steroid market by estimating that 20 vials of injectable steroids and 100 steroid tablets could supply steroid cycles for about 30 people.
Police found enough steroids to supply 30 people, Tiberi said.
At least 100 manufactured capsules were found in the apartment along with 20 bottles ready to be injected.
Through training, experience and undercover work, police were able to identify the chemicals, Tiberi said.
Pease or the Millis Police Department did not realize that steroids were already as dangerous as methamphetamines without the addition of “elephant tranquilizers.”
Philon initially said he had just completed his own cycle and was taking a week off and would provide the drugs to the source when he resumed, the complaint states. The source asked whether he or she could start earlier, and Philon said he would try to get the steroids, the complaint states.
The source made arrangements to meet Philon at a Publix supermarket on State Road 54 in Pasco. There, Philon gave the source a plastic sandwich bag with 10 pink tablets of Dianabol, the complaint states. Philon told the source how to use the pills.
This reprsents a 1 to 5 day supply of the anabolic steroid methandrostenolone for most bodybuilders.
A federal steroid investigation in Texas that shut down a major steroid source in the Texas is now targeting an NFL football player. Matt Lehr, currently with the New Orleans Saints but previously with the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons, was one of the subjects of a grand jury investigation convening in Texas according to the New York Times. At least one active NFL player from the Atlanta Falcons was subpoenaed to testify against Lehr on possible steroid distribution charges (”Former Dallas Cowboy named in steroid investigation,” April 8 ).
Amateur bodybuilder David Jacobs was the steroid source that was busted in May 2007. Jacobs had extensive ties to both amateur and professional bodybuilders; he was widely recognized in the sport as IFBB Pro Branch Warren’s training partner. Fortunately for the sport of bodybuilding, bodybuilders were NOT the target of the federal investigation. It now appears that the end target(s) of the U.S. attorney’s office are professional football player(s).
David Jacobs had also previously trained with NFL player Matt Lehr in Texas. Lehr’s former girlfriend, female bodybuilder Andrea Trent, confirmed that David Jacobs and Matt Lehr were close.
“David and Matt were close and pretty tight,” said Ms. Trent, adding that they worked out together “all the time.”
Branch Warren has distanced himself from David Jacobs but surprisingly has come to the defense of football player Matt Lehr in the Dallas Morning News.
Local pro bodybuilder Branch Warren, who used to train with Mr. Jacobs, said he is friends with Mr. Lehr and does not believe the NFL player has ever done anything illegal.
“My understanding is, Mr. Lehr was suspended and he moved on with his life,” said Mr. Warren, who lives in Tarrant County. “Matt made a mistake, and he admitted to it. He’s a good guy.
“He’s an NFL player. Why would he sell drugs, someone who makes that kind of money?”
Mr. Warren said that although he does not condone steroid use, he believes it is pervasive in professional sports.
Matt Lehr’s attorney is trying to discredit Jacobs suggesting that the case against Lehr will be dropped due to faulty information provided by Jacobs. But David Jacobs has denied providing federal prosecutors with the names of customers who bought steroids from him stressing that evidence and associations with Lehr were established independent of his cooperation.
Mr. Jacobs denies that he gave up any of his customers’ names to prosecutors. But he says during the course of their investigation of him – which he says dates back to 2005 – authorities tracked his associations and developed the information on their own…
Federal prosecutors are looking at bank records, correspondence and other evidence analyzing what investigators believe could outline transactions involving anabolic steroids and human growth hormone between Mr. Jacobs and Mr. Lehr.
One thing is for certain - the federal investigation in Texas is far from over. All parties involved in related steroid cases must continue to wait for the conclusion of their respective cases while the feds pursue anabolic steroids in football.
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)
So how did this lone journalist from a mid-sized, out-of-state paper beat all the local and national powerhouses on such a major story? And perhaps more importantly, why did he bother?
The answer lies in the origins of the 2006 steroid case, which actually began in the Albany County District Attorney’s Office — a place Lyons knows well from years of crime reporting for the TU. As the investigation led to Florida and several other states, Lyons was well-positioned to get advance word of the raid. Since then, he has broken multiple follows, including a report in January revealing that numerous stars, from singers Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent to Danny Bonaduce, were linked to the pharmacy.
Apparently making deals to aggressively promote the local district attorney is the key to investigative reporting.
“I approached the DA, and he put me off for a while,” Lyons says. “Then he explained that they were in the throes of a multi-state investigation that would resonate from that office.”
Further digging found that the Orlando site was next. “I started working sources to find out as much as I could,” he says. “I found out that some celebrity athletes were involved.” Names such as boxer Evander Holyfield arose, and Lyons learned a big raid was in the works. But he did not report it, as investigators requested he hold off.
Lyons deludes himself into believing he was involved in serious investigative journalism by fancying himself as a real journalist surrounded by danger in a hostile military environment covering a significant military operation. As Lyons tells the story, coverage of the war on steroids is analagous to the war on terrorism in many ways.
“I thought it was no different than being embedded with a military unit that was going to raid Kirkuk tomorrow,” Lyons says. “The pitch was, ‘If you publish it, they could potentially destroy records and computer files.’” Then Lyons learned that Sports Illustrated was also on the story. “I knew they were being given the same request to hold off,” he recalls. “And the clock was ticking.
“We knew some things and could have moderately reported it,” Port adds. “But if we had done it, we would have ruined their investigative plans, and they made a case that was true. The deal was, when it happened, we would report the heck out of it.”
Thus, Brendan Lyons and the Albany Times-Union entered into a deal with District Attorney David Soares that has greatly benefitted both parties. The seemingly quid pro quo relationship has worked well from the beginning when prosecutor Soares invited Brendan Lyons and a Times-Union photographer to take lots of pictures during a raid that was clearly unnecessary and designed only as a photo op and publish “the heck out of it” (”Soares, Steroids and Albany,” March 2, 2007).
The Florida defense attorney said in a video clip that the suspects were aware of the investigation and offered several times to turn themselves in. David rejected their offer because he wanted to fly down to Florida “…with a camera crew.” Now we are stuck not only with the cost of David’s trip but also with the transportation costs of bringing the suspects up to Albany. In addition to two assistants, David invited a Times Union reporter and photographer on these out of state raids. This doesn’t look good and it appears that David is playing for publicity.
It is my opinion that we need much higher standards for what qualifies as investigative journalism.
