I write this early Friday morning from the South Fork Hotel in Plano, Texas where a disconcerting convergence of steroid and bodybuilding-related events has materialized within a 15 mile radius.
Fifteen miles away is the Magnolia Theatre, the Mark Cuban owned venue where the Texas box office premiere of the steroid documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster*” featuring a segment with Plano’s Don Hooton takes place on Friday.
The will be a particularly difficult weekend as David Jacobs and Amanda Jo Savell were especially well known within the North Central Texas bodybuilding and fitness community, many of which are coming into town for the show.
Former steroid dealer David Jacobs and IFBB fitness pro Amanda Savell were discovered dead early this morning. It was first reported on Anthony Roberts blog and also reported by John Romano on Muscular Development and Hardbody. I have confirmed it with a close friend of Amanda Jo’s who has spoken with her family and police on the matter. While it was most likely a murder-suicide with Jacobs first shooting his former girlfriend and then turning the gun on himself, police have not ruled out a double homicide.
The murder-suicide is a terrible tragedy. It is probably only a matter of time before the media starts to suggest steroid use and roid rage as the culprit behind the tragedy much as they did with Chris Benoit. But I hope the media spends some time to appreciate the “richness of these lives” lost and seek ways to avert future such tragedies. This was best said by Jack Darkes in his review of the Chris Benoit tragedy:
If AAS are blamed and the richness of these lives ignored, then the opportunity to prevent such rare events goes unrealized. Singling out a drug to blame leads to fiery rhetoric, congressional hearings, prohibition and scare tactics; none of these have succeeded in curbing drug use, especially among those at greatest risk for harm. Most AAS users do not experience negative effects and hence distrust the message and the messengers, perhaps most notably among those who should listen. Research has shown this many times. Blaming AAS diverts focus from potential indicators of risk and predictors of harmful outcomes. This is where science might be most helpful in dispelling simplistic notions and in working toward more effective risk identification, targeting of limited resources and reducing associated harms.
Anabolic steroids have been so demonized that they have apparently become the drug of choice for criminals to blame for their depraved and despicable behavior. The latest criminal to invoke the “dumbbell defense” is Lonnie Ted Crabtree.
Defense attorney Michelle Temmell said his client is a former pilot and has a relatively clean previous criminal record. She said the charges began when he started taking steroids while participating in kick boxing.
Crabtree said when he started taking steroids the drug changed him mentally leading to obsessive compulsive behavior.
Crabtree went online and started contacting people in chat rooms. He was very selective, and ended up having an extended conversation with 15-year-old “Brooke.” Police say Crabtree told “Brooke” that he pays $100.00 an hour for girls to have sex with him.
He then sent “Brooke” a picture of himself, and asked if they could meet that day to engage in sexual intercourse. Crabtree even offered to pay her $130.00 an hour since she was a virgin. 15-year-old “Brooke” agreed to meet him at a local fast food restaurant in Walton, Kentucky.
The sexual predator fled the country to Costa Rica where he taught children English and martial arts for the past six years. He was apprehended after police received a tip based on an America’s Most Wanted episode.
Former professional bodybuilder Craig Titus has pleaded guilty to second degree murder, first degree kidnapping and first degree arson. Fitness pro Kelly Ryan, the wife of Craig Titus, also pleaded guilty days before their trial was scheduled to start. The plea agreement spares the sport of bodybuilding from a sensationalistic trial where anabolic steroids are likely to be demonized; we anticipated a “dumbbell defense” with the requested appointment of clinical psychologist David Schmidt of UNLV.
Local news stations have breaking news about the case and sentencing.
Once stars in the bodybuilding world, they are accused of using a stun gun, drugging and suffocating 28-year-old Melissa James in December of 2005. James burned body was found in a burned out Jaguar belonging to Ryan.
The dumbbell defense was successful in the case of Michael D. Williams, who was a competitive bodybuilder in the 1980s that broke into six homes and set fire to three of them. Williams was acquitted of his crimes because the judge believed “toxic levels of anabolic steroids” resulted in a mental disorder which meant he could not be criminally responsible for his actions.
In 1986, a Prince George’s judge ruled that a prize-winning bodybuilder stationed at Patuxent River Naval Air Station could not be held criminally responsible on charges of breaking into six St. Mary’s homes and setting three of them on fire. The judge concurred with the defendant’s lawyers that he was suffering from a mental disorder caused by the toxic levels of anabolic steroids he had taken to win bodybuilding contests.
The fact that the dumbbell defense has worked in the past explains why it is routinely used when defendants on trial for various crimes happen to use anabolic steroids.
The defense attorney for Roberto Pulidoblamed anabolic steroids for a long list of crimes committed as part of a police corruption scandal. Pulido claims that being “pumped full of steroids” caused him to get involved in transporting cocaine into Boston. He claims that his steroid addiction made him exaggerate many of his behaviors.
Pulido “knowingly and intentionally combined, conspired, confederated and agreed… with other persons, known and unknown, to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, a quantity or mixture of a substance containing cocaine” in excess of 140 kilograms.
Pulido obtained identifying information for the identity theft ring, including name, address, date of birth and social security number of identity theft victims. Pulido used Boston Police Department computers to access Registry of Motor vehicle database and pull identifying information on expensive vehicles he observed while on duty. Pulido said, “it’s easy for me, I just run people’s plates, you know. I go look for fucking fancy ass cars and fucking run ‘em like Brookline and Cambridge…”
Pulido purchased fraudulent gift cards in amounts in excess of $100,000 at 50 cents on the dollar. He used the gift cards himself and sold other gift cards at a profit.
Pulido provided protection for approximately 50-60 after-hours narcotics and prostitution parties where nude dancers and prostitutes often sold sexual favors including lap dances, fellatio and sexual intercourse. Pulido wanted to expand into protecting “water parties” where bottled water and ecstasy were sold in combination.
Pulido planted narcotics and a gun in the vehicle of a former business partner, had him arrested during which he had his home robbed of $40,000. Pulido threatened another business partner saying “…if the dog is out and he tries to attackus, half of the dog is gonna be hung on the front door and the other half is gonna be hung on the rear door… Don’t let it go personal. If you want to make it personal, after the dog it will be your wife, then it’ll be your mother, then it’ll be your brother, and it’ll be your unborn child.” Pulido, in full military gear, physically assaulted an individual he suspected of stealing his car stereo stating.
Pulido cashed illegal alien’s checks for a 10% money laundering fee.
Pulido attempted to sell his girlfriend’s truck to a “chop-shop” and filed a false police report claiming it was stolen in order to collect reimbursement from his insurance company in a case of insurance fraud.
Pulido smuggled illegal aliens into the country for $5,000 per person.
Pulido gave up sensitive information on his fellow officers at the Boston Police Department to individuals outside the department.
Pulido aided and abetted loan sharking.
Pulido trafficked in stolen electronics.
Apparently steroid use by police officers is the least of our worries; a bigger threat to the public safety is police corruption. Unless, of course, you believe that anabolic steroids are the root of all evil when it comes to police corruption!
Several cases have recently been reported (Coacher & Workman 1989; Editorial 1988b,c,d,e; Lubell 1989; Maryland v. Michael D. Williams 1986; Moss 1988) wherein presumed psychological and behavioural effects of anabolic-androgenic steroids are alleged by defendants to have significantly influenced the commission of criminal acts. This legal strategy has been identified in the popular press as the ‘dumbbell defense’ (Editorial 1988c).
These defense strategies have become more popular with the increasing degree of steroid demonization in our society. Fortunately, these legal strategies, lacking in any credible scientific support, are not terrible effective in our justice system.
According to court documents, their case was apparently part of a larger ongoing investigation of the “British Dragon Anabolic Steroid Manufacturing and Distribution Organization” by federal investigators. Clearly, the recently arrested founder of British Dragon has been on the steroid most wanted list for some time.
The New England Field Division, Financial Investigation Team (NEFD FIT) is currently conducting an investigation into an international steroid manufacturing, importing and money laundering organization operating from Thailand, Austria, Moldova, The Peoples Republic of China (PRC), the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Greece, Canada and other countries. This organization is referred to as the BRITISH DRAGON ANABOLIC STEROID MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION ORGANIZATION.
The DEA-Boston investigation centers on the importation of BRITISH DRAGON brand steroids into the United States by a series of manufacturers, wholesalers and repackagers/shippers based in the above-mentioned foreign countries.
All of the following information is a matter of public record and entered into evidence by federal authorities.
Court documents reveal that the DeProspo brothers claimed to have purchased over $100,000 in anabolic steroids primarily British Dragon from Alin at alin@heartcable.org in Moldova and IP at iphest@gmail.com in China. (Federal investigators have documented over $40,000 in transfers.) They transferred funds via Western Union to various recipients including “Matt Vanalst,” “Stela Batin,” “Stubei Ala,” and “Stubei Galina” in Moldova and “Xioming Yang Yang” and “Goucheng Jiang” in China.
DeProspo admitted to successfully having about 150 steroid shipments sent to his parents home and subsequently had them delivered to his college post office box and various UPS Store private mail boxes.
The case against the DeProspo brothers was made using video surveillance, public records, telephone records, pen register and trap and trace information, and search warrants on various email addresses used by defendants including arthurjonesmail@yahoo.com, jazkillakasno@aol.com, and KAS1N0l3I30Y@aol.com.
The federal government has devoted significant resources in their investigation of illegal steroid possession and distribution domestically and abroad even if major cases are only sentenced to probation or a year/day or less jail time as is the case with the DeProspos.
The Florida Legislature refused to continue funding a pilot program for steroid testing of high school athletes. State budget problems did not allow legislators to justify spending $175 to $200 per student on random testing for anabolic steroids. Out of 700 tests costing approximately $100,000, one high school student tested positive for anabolic steroid use (”Prep drug testing runs out of juice,” May 19).
The Florida High School Athletic Association will present the results to the legislature in October, Llorente said, but the FHSAA already has a good idea of what they are.
FHSAA spokeswoman Cristina Alvarez confirmed Monday that more than 700 student-athletes have been randomly tested this school year, and only one test came back positive. The positive test was from a football player, Alvarez said, and no athletes from the winter or spring seasons have tested positive.
Rep. Marcelo Llorente, the bill sponsor, feels that $100,000 is a small price to pay to catch a single steroid user.
“It shows that the program deterred young high school athletes from using steroids,” Llorente said. “If we deter one young person in the state from doing steroids and intervene in a positive fashion, I think it becomes a worthwhile endeavor.”
Fortunately, at least one athletic director is a little more reasonable when addressing the issue of steroid testing in high school.
Not everyone agrees. Boca Raton Athletic Director Bill Massey pointed out that it “cost us $100,000 to find that one student.”
“It was a nice idea, probably a more politically correct thing to do,” Massey said of the testing. “To test 1 percent of the state is not a significant number that the student-athletes modified their behavior, and I don’t think it’s as widespread as we would like to say among athletes.”
The Australian Government Solicitator has ruled that a secret pilot program involving the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) and Medicare was illegal. ASADA had been reviewing government Medicare prescription records and cross-referencing them with names of athletes in an effort to catch athletes using prohibited substances. Not surprisingly to anyone, the Government Solicitator determined that ASADA illegally violated athlete privacy and doctor-patient confidentiality (”Secret athlete drug probe ‘illegal’, says Government Solicitor,” May 20).
An ASADA spokesperson was unapologetic about the illegality of their methods and privacy issues involved. After all, the ASADA illegal invasion of medical privacy program was a “world first” and apparently justified because it was “aimed at catching drug cheats who might otherwise escape detection.”
The spokesperson even bragged that they were deserving of an apology for the “embarrassment” and “difficult position” placed on ASADA by revelations of the illegal program.
ASADA continues to work with Customs and other agencies including the Australian Federal Police, but has now been forced to scrap the pilot program. It was a world first and part of a suite of measures aimed at catching drug cheats who might otherwise escape detection.
[...]
Insisting ASADA had acted in good faith, the ASADA spokeswoman said the agency had received an apology from the AGS “for any embarrassment and for the difficult position in which this has placed ASADA”.
Sometimes people within anti-doping agencies feel their moral authority justifies their unfair, and sometimes illegal, persecution of athletes in their pursuit of integrity in sports.
Kate Ellis, the new Australian Sports Minister, was considerably more reasonable in her comments to the press, acknowledging the anti-doping agencies must also play by the rules too.
Ms Ellis, who spoke at a meeting of world anti-doping investigators in Sydney recently, at which ASADA is understood to have outlined its methods, said the fight against performance-enhancing drugs needed to be tough but fair.
“If athletes are drug cheats then we will use every fair and legal avenue to ensure they get caught and appropriately sanctioned,” Ms Ellis said.
Senator Hillary Clinton supports federal efforts to eliminate steroids from professional sports:
Senator Clinton sees our sports leagues as public trusts and our sports heroes as key public role models for our children, and believes in the importance of promoting clean, drug-free professional sports. In her view, leagues should take the lead in vigorously enforcing their own strict drug policies, but if we were to see frequent and flagrant continued abuse of performance-enhancing drugs by professional athletes, she would certainly speak out against it as president and consider appropriate federal action.
Senator Barack Obama supports spending additional federal funds to enforce existing steroid laws:
As a father and an avid sports fan, I understand the dangers that performance enhancing drugs pose for athletes, as well as the teenagers who seek to emulate them, not to mention the effect that these drugs have on the integrity of sports. As president, I would use the bully pulpit of my office to warn Americans about the dangers of performance enhancing drugs, and I would put greater resources into enforcement of existing drug laws. I would also convene a summit of the commissioners of the professional sports leagues, as well as university presidents, to explore options for decreasing the use of these drugs.
Since the beginning of the steroids scandals John McCain has consistently said that the important aspect of the issue is not the well-being of the multi-milliondollar professional athletes who choose to use banned substances to cheat themselves and their sport, but rather the effects these substances are having on our youth. In a simple point and click, our children today are able to obtain illegal performance-enhancing substances on the Internet in just a few days. The use of these substances among adolescents in the U.S. has reached epidemic proportions and the health effects of usage are devastating — leading to depression, suicide, stunted growth, and the deterioration of the liver, kidneys, bones, and reproductive organs. We have every reason to believe that what kids are doing indubitably will show up in doctor’s offices 15 years from now, so John McCain believes it is imperative that we act now.
A McCain administration would continue an aggressive prosecutorial approach, and will focus more on educating our youth about the destructive effects of these substances. And it’s not just performance-enhancing drugs. Our kids are obtaining prescription drugs over the Internet at an alarming rate. His administration would encourage schools to include lessons concerning the adverse health effects of these substances as part of physical education, and disseminate these educational messages at the grassroots level. In addition, my administration would ensure that dietary supplement manufacturers are in compliance with the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act (DSHEA) and not seeking shelter for substances that were never intended to be protected under the Act. A McCain administration would continue to pressure professional sports leagues to adopt zero-tolerance doping policies, and ensure that the Olympic athletes that represent our Nation do so with honor. Also, A McCain administration will provide the necessary support to research laboratories that are working to outpace the science developed by those who seek substances undetectable to testing.
USA Today did not ask the campaign of Representative Ron Paul for his position on anabolic steroids in sports, but his campaign has unapologetically gone on record as being completely against the war on drugs which would logically include the war on steroids:
For the first 140 years of our history, we had essentially no Federal war on drugs, and far fewer problems with drug addiction and related crimes was a consequence. In the past 30 years, even with the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the drug war, little good has come of it. We have vacillated from efforts to stop the drugs at the source to severely punishing the users, yet nothing has improved. This war has been behind most big government policy powers of the last 30 years, with continual undermining of our civil liberties and personal privacy.
