With all the steroid hysteria, it is not difficult to forget that anabolic steroids are legal and have therapeutic uses. Many assume it is forbidden take injectable steroids and syringes/needles on board a domestic airline in carryon luggage.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration), there is nothing illegal about taking anabolic steroids or any other injectable medication on board an airplane. Even with increased airport security, you are permitted to take an unlimited number of unused syringes as long as it is accompanied by the injectable medication.
Unlimited number of unused syringes when accompanied by insulin or other injectable medication…
Medications must be labeled so they are identifiable.
Of course, if you do not possess a valid medical prescription for anabolic steroids, you may be subject to other law enforcement action!
Also, TSA will visually examine your steroids and needles as a customer service:
Medication and related supplies are normally X-rayed. However, as a customer service, TSA now allows you the option of requesting a visual inspection of your medication and associated supplies.
You must request a visual inspection before the screening process begins; otherwise you medications and supplies will undergo X-ray inspection.
If you would like to take advantage of this option, please have you medication and associated supplies separated from your other property in a separate pouch/bag when you approach the Security Officer at the walk-through metal detector.
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 sellingViagra 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.
Did you ever wonder how an internet source gets busted? It’s often a textbook process by the feds in many cases. Most sources are not particularly sophisticated. And you usually have a couple of low level sources and partners who flip the bigger internet source. These guys are richly rewarded by our criminal justice system. Court documents provide some insightful details.
It started with the arrest of Jacob Piergiovanni aka “D2K3″ on April 10, 2007. D2K3’s computer revealed he had imported about 2,000 lbs of steroid powder since 2003. D2K3 was busted thanks to a cooperating defendent in Louisiana.
Two weeks later, under instruction from the feds, Piergiovanni used his email account d2k3@cyber-rights.net to place an order for anabolic steroid powders from “Worldwide” at worldwidegrowth@hushmail.com.
On April 26, 2007, FDA Special Agent David Westall used D2K3’s handle and email account to arrange the purchase of 2 kilograms of powder testosterone propionate, testosterone base, and testosterone enanthate from Worldwide for $1600.
On April 28, 2007, Worldwide requested that two payments of $800 be sent via Western Union to Alex Lewis in Ingliss, Florida with identification requirement waived in favor of a test question and answer.
On April 30, 2007, undercover SA David Westall using the handle D2K3 made payment according to Worldwide’s instructions.
On May 21, 2007, Worldwide emailed D2K3 (SA Westall) to inform him that steroid powders arrived from China.
On May 23, 2007, Worldwide shipped the steroid powder to an undercover mailbox in Brunswick, George that SA Westall provided as a shipping address.
On May 24, 2007, just over one kilogram of steroid powder was received at the undercover box. The steroid powder was shipped from Antioch, Tennessee.
At this point, federal investigators knew that Worldwide was not operating alone. Someone else was receiving and remailing steroids for Worldwide. So, they arranged a sting operation to bust Worldwide’s partner in Tennessee.
On May 25, 2007, SA Westall asked if Worldwide would be willing to receive steroid shipments from China on his behalf. SA Westall did not want to use Worldwide’s source but wanted to use his own Chinese steroid supplier.
Worldwide agreed to receive 2 kilograms of steroid powder from SA Westall’s China powder source and remail it to SA Westall (still operating under D2K3 handle). The fee for this service was $350 payable via Greendot pre-paid Visa/Mastercard.
On May 28, 2008, SA Westall purchased a Greendot card at CVS Pharmacy and emailed the card number to Worldwide.
SA Westall then requested a mailing address from Worldwide where the Chinese steroid powder could be shipped.
SA Westall then made an undercover purchase of steroid powder from a Chinese supplier of anabolic steroids identified as “top_hormone”. We believe this is well-known spammer Andy Xu who spammed various bodybuilding message boards using the following email addresses and websites:
On May 29, 2007, Worldwide told SA Westall to have the Chinese steroid supplier ship the steroids to Jeff Beaty’s home address; Worldwide unknowingly gave up his partner, including real name and home address, to the feds.
SA Westall paid “top_hormone” $1217 for two kilograms of powder steroids.
On May 30th and May 31, 2007, “top_hormone” shipped two kilograms of powder steroids via expedited delivery in two shipments to Jeff Beaty aka “The Priest” in Antioch, Tennessee.
On June 2nd and June 4, 2007, both packages of steroids arrived at the Nashville, Tennessee post office.
On June 4, 2007, federal agents executed an anticipatory search warrant at Jeff Beaty’s house where they found the two kilograms of steroid powder from top_hormone. The next day they were surprised to see another shipment arrive from China containing 100 vials of growth hormone along with a FedEx envelope with $2300 cash.
Federal agents learned that Beaty received steroids and growth hormone from China and remailed them on behalf of Worldwide. In addition, Beaty was responsible for the receipt of payments for internet steroid sales and wiring payment to Chinese suppliers of steroids and growth hormone on behalf of Worldwide.
“The Priest” gave investigators Worldwide’s phone number. The feds subpoenaed phone records and learned that the phone number was the home phone registered to Matthew Jack (subsequently identified as the father of Worldwide) in Homosassa, Florida. The feds learned that David Paul Jack aka Worldwide lived with his mom and dad at that residence.
On June 14, 2007, a search warrant was executed at the home of Worldwide’s elderly mother and father in Homosassa, Florida. His parents confirmed their son had several Greendot cards in various different names, they identified their son’s voice in voice messages left on Jeff Beaty’s phone, and permitted investigators to review their caller id box where Jeff Beaty’s phone number appeared multiple times. The stated they did not know Beaty and their son was the only other person in the household who made and received phone calls.
David Paul Jack’s girlfriend gave up all the fraudulent names and identities used for Greendot cards and his internet handles including “bjbowden”. She told investigators that Worldwide also had a partner in California in addition to the “The Priest” in Tennessee.
“The Priest” continued to cooperate with federal investigators and allowed the feds to use his online identity in ongoing correspondence with Worldwide.
The Outcome
All three people involved face similar steroid distribution and conspiracy charges, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids. They all faced up to 5 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
David Paul Jack aka “Worldwide” and “bjbowden” pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. He was sentenced to 48 months in prison on December 18, 2007. In exchange, he got to choose which prison he would serve his sentence. His 15-month old daughter is now being raised by his parents.
Jacob Piergiovanni aka “D2K3″ pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. He was sentenced to 5 years probations on December 10, 2007 in exchange for his cooperation with the feds.
Jeff Beaty aka “The Priest” pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. He was sentenced to 5 years probation on February 15, 2008 in exchange for his cooperation with the feds.
The Los Angeles Police Department discovered former bodybuilding cosmetic surgeon Bruce Nadler, MD and his wife dead as the result of gunshot wounds on Monday, February 4, 2008. Authorities believe it is an apparent murder-suicide perpetrated by Bruce Nadler.
Bruce Nadler called himself the “world’s strongest plastic surgeon.” He was probably the best known cosmetic surgeon catering to amateur and professional bodybuilders. He had performed over 700 gynecomastia surgeries in his career; “gyno” is a side effect of anabolic steroid use when antiaromatase and/or estrogen antagonists are not use concurrently.
After retiring from the practice of medicine in August 2005, Dr. Nadler, who called himself “the world’s strongest plastic surgeon,” wrote the “The Nip Tuck Workout: Exercise through the Eyes of a Plastic Surgeon” and subsequently moved with his wife to Los Angeles to reinvent himself in a new career as personal trainer with the opening of Nip Tuck Fitness LA in Beverly Hills.
Retired plastic surgeon and certified personal trainer Bruce J. Nadler M.D. has brought his Plastic Synergy training system to Los Angeles. As stated in his book, “The Nip Tuck Workout - Exercise through the Eyes of a Plastic Surgeon,” Dr. Nadler has created an exercise program based on the plastic surgical principles of proportion and symmetry. It combines careful analysis with an individualized exercise prescription.
Bruce Nadler, MD retired after the New York State Board of Professional Medical Conduct charged him with 29 specifications of professional misconduct in thirteen patients according to public records. Rather than fight the charges, Nadler submitted and consent agreement and voluntarily relinquished his medical license.
Failure to obtain and/or note an adequate and complete medical history and/or history of current complaint from patient.
Failure to perform and/or note a complete and appropriate physical examination of patient.
Failure to obtain and/or note appropriate and medically indicated laboratory studies on patient including: prolactin, TSH, LH, hepatic and renal function, and assays for estrogen levels and HCG.
Failure to properly diagnose patient’s condition and/or rule out underlying disorders.
Inappropriately and without medical idnication and/or justification, prescribing and/or maintaining patient on various medications.
Failure to maintain a medical record for patient in accordance with accepted medical standards which accurately reflects his care and treatment of the patient.
Bruce Nadler’s beliefs regarding anabolic steroids and bodybuilding were controversial for physician. He explained his own steroid use and his willingness to prescribe steroids and growth hormone to his patients in an interview with Testosterone Nation:
I’m my own test laboratory in that respect because, in the last two years, I’ve been taking 6 to 8 IUs a week of growth hormone, and I alternate between 200 mg a week of deca and 200 mg of testosterone cypionate the next week. Instead of going super physiological, I believe in just going to maximum natural levels to that of a man in his twenties. In this way, there are no side effects.
Nadler was also critical of the steroid hysteria in the U.S. and the political posturing surrounding anabolic steroids:
I’ve always felt that politicians always have to make the majority of the electorate think that they’re doing something? So they inconvenience a small, unimportant group, like bodybuilders. They have no idea what they’re talking about. Somebody hands them a speech, and they go! They took something that could have been done safely and sent it to the black market and all of the inherent dangers that go along with dealing with that element. Will they ever be legal again? I hope so.
Hidetada Yamagishi’s defense attorney provided court documents to Flex Online including details of steroid-related charges against him. The court documents provide details of the anabolic steroid stack imported by IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Hidetada Yamagishi when he was arrested on his arrival in the United States to compete in the 2008 IFBB Iron Man Pro and 2008 IFBB Arnold Classic as well as other pro bodybuilding shows:
Flex Online spoke with the attorney for Hidetada Yamagishi and confirmed the steroid-related charges against Hide that we first learned over three weeks ago from Muscletime. Allan Donnelly writes:
Yamagishi is charged with six felonies and three misdemeanors.
The felonies are: unlawful possess for sale and purchase for sale a controlled substance, trenbolone; unlawful possess for sale and purchase for sale a controlled substance, testosterone; unlawful possess for sale and purchase for sale a controlled substance chorionic gonadotropin; unlawful possess for sale and purchase for sale of a controlled substance mesterolone; unlawful possess for sale and purchase for sale of a controlled substance, oxandrolone; unlawful transport, import into the state of California, sell, furnish, administer and give away and offer to transport, import into the State of California, sell furnish, administer and give away, and attempt to import into the State of California and transport a controlled substance trenbolone, chorionic gonadotropin, testosterone, mesterolone, oxandrolone and stanozolol.
Shawn Chapman Holley, Hide’s defense attorney, confirmed that the amount and quantity of anabolic steroids and ancillary drugs found in Hidetada’s luggage at LAX was consistent with personal use for a competitive bodybuilder.
It’s clear that the quantity of steroids at issue is consistent with personal use and far less than one would expect to see in a case of sales. Moreover the quantity is consistent with what one would expect to see for a bodybuilder with the competition schedule Hide had posted on his Website before his arrest.
The State of California is apparently abusing misusing the law by attempting to prosecute Hidetada Yamagishi as a distributor of anabolic steroids; Hidetada clearly had no intent to sell steroids only to compete in professional bodybuilding competitions.
California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, knows a thing or two about the quantity and type of anabolic steroids and ancillary drugs included in precontest bodybuilding steroid stacks. He could easily confirm that the steroid stack imported by Hide was consistent with personal use by a professional bodybuilder. Someone should appeal directly to Arnold Schwarzenegger and ask that he explain this to California prosecutors.
There is a good chance that Hide’s defense attorney will be able to do the same and reach a plea agreement to misdemeanor charges on behalf of Hidetada Yamagishi.
I am hopeful that on February 6th we will have worked out a deal where, hopefully he will plead guilty to a misdemeanor count and be placed on summary probation with credit for time served and that will be the end of the criminal case.
Nonetheless, it is terrible that Hide will have spent no less than 8 weeks incarcerated on trumped up charges.
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.
Bodybuilders who use anabolic steroids are very familiar with this problem; it is widely recognized and widely discussed in the bodybuilding community. Various doctors, writers and bodybuilders have offered possible solutions. It is accepted within many bodybuilding circles that ASIH can be largely minimized if not completely avoided.
But nowhere in the article is their any suggestion that the ASIH can be avoided or treated. It is not necessarily the fault of the author; the medical profession does not recognize the treatment of ASIH; the government does not recognize treatment of ASIH. Consequently they do not approve of treatment for the side effects related to the cessation of anabolic steroids.
This just baffles me! Why would the side effects that come along with stopping steroid use, especially if they are as dangerous as claimed, be left untreated especially if that treatment is readily available? I mean it is no secret that Taylor Hooton’s parents and doctors took him off of anabolic steroids and within 6 weeks he committed suicide. Texas has passed legislation claiming “clinical depression [occurs] when steroid use is stopped.” Kirk Brower, M.D. has told Congress during the baseball hearings that “depressive episodes and suicide attempts are most likely to occur within three months of stopping AAS use.”
If there is a treatment to prevent or eliminate the side effects associated with cessation of anabolic steroids, it should be promoted and encouraged by the government and medical community. But why isn’t it?
(1) The steroid prohibition movement is about morality and not about health. To paraphrase Radley Balko, it is better to let a steroid user suffer (and even die) rather than administer a medical treatment that could eliminate steroid side effects and remove threat of suicide. The war against steroids has taken on the characteristics of the overarching war on drugs. Balko explains the drug policy:
This is the mentality of your modern drug warrior. We’re fighting drug use not because it’s dangerous or harmful, but because they believe drug use is, in and of itself, immoral.
Today’s drug war isn’t about saving lives, it’s about saving souls.
(2) If the side effects of steroids are successfully treated, it would encourage steroid users to continue using steroids. This is probably correct, but is that a worse outcome than making steroid users suffer for making a supposedly immoral choice? The Office Of National Drug Control Policy has a strong moral philosophy and opposition to harm reduction when it comes to drug use.
These so-called “harm reduction” strategies are poor public policy because their underlying philosophy involves giving up on those who can successfully recover from drug addiction.
Let’s abandon this morality play and truly focus on the health consequences of anabolic steroid use.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone were competitive rivals as box office muscle action heroes during the 1980s. But now Arnold and Sly are apparently good friends. According to Stallone, their friendship has flourished recently:
After he became governor, we started to build this relationship. We’d go to this place called Cafe Rome and smoke cigars, then they banned smoking, so the governor and I were in an alley stealing a few puffs talking about how to balance the budget. Now we meet every Saturday.
Schwarzenegger is even a fan of Sly’s movies nowadays. Arnold took his two sons on a flight to Las Vegas Los Angeles last week for the box office premiere of Sylvester Stallone’s latest movie, Rambo.
I’m certain that Arnold’s friendship with Sly will be criticized since Stallone has become the most high profile celebrity advocate for the use of growth hormone and testosterone in age management medicine during his recent promotional tour for Rambo.
Arnold has long faced criticism of his association with pro bodybuilding via the Arnold Classic because of the rampant anabolic steroid use in the sport. It’s good to hear Arnold is not turning his back on friends and the sport of bodybuilding simply due to political pressure!
Could you imagine a pharmaceutical company (whose top-selling drugs are anabolic steroids) becoming the title sponsor of a professional bodybuilding contest? What is Unimed, whose top selling drug products are Anadrol-50 (oxymetholone) and AndroGel (testosterone), sponsored the Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding contest resulting in the “Unimed Pharmaceuticals IFBB Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Championships”?!! Or how about Savient, whose top-selling drug product is Oxandrin (oxandrolone), sponsoring the Arnold Classic resulting in the Savient Pharmaceuticals IFBB Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic Bodybuilding Championships?!! Observers would comment on the irony given that professional bodybuilding is practically synonymous with the use of anabolic steroids.
Interestingly, in the sport of professional cycling, such an unlikely sponsorship has been taking place since 2006 when the biotechnology company Amgen became the title sponsor of professional cycling’s Amgen Tour of California. One prominent cycling commentator called it the “death of irony.” You see, Amgen’s most successful product to date is Epogen (recombinant erythropoietin); it’s second best-selling drug is a long-acting version of Epogen called Aranesp (darbepoietin). Epogen is the most notorious performance-enhancing drug in cycling; Epogen is to professional cycling what anabolic steroids are to professional bodybuilding!
If the controversial title sponsorship was not enough, Tour of California organizers accidentally forgot to drug test riders for Epogen during the inaugural 2006 Amgen Tour of California. They tested for all other banned drugs but simply forgot to test for Epogen!
And why is Amgen spending $35 million sponsorship over a 5-year commitment on professional cycling? Is it because professional cyclist represent proof of the miraculous performance-enhancing effects of their products? Not exactly. Amgen’s scientific director Dr. Steven Elliott explains:
Our opportunity is to educate cyclists that there is an appropriate way to use a drug, and doping in sport is not it… Our medicines were made because we want to treat grievous illnesses. They’re not for enhancing performance in sport.
I think the sport of professional bodybuilding could use a $35 million infusion by a giant pharmaceutical company who manufacturers anabolic steroids and/or human growth hormone who could use the sponsorship as an opportunity to promote the therapeutic benefits of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.
But then again, along with the Amgen sponsorship of the Tour of California came pressure to expand anti-doping testing and improve anti-doping procedures.
The upcoming 2008 Amgen Tour of California cycling road race will adopt the most comprehensive anti-doping protocol in cycling history it was announced by Andrew Messick, president, AEG Sports, presenter of the race, at a press conference today.
This is something that professional bodybuilding probably does not want.
