IFBB pro bodybuilder Victor Martinez was unfairly subjected to a “witch hunt” by an inaccurate article appearing in the New York Daily News. Sports writer Christian Red inaccurately reported that Victor Martinez owned the Gurabo Supplement Store in the Dominican Republic when, in fact, Martinez does not have any ownership interest nor does he receive any monetary benefits from the supplement store. Daniel Ferreira, an attorney for Martinez, formally requested a correction in a letter to Christian Red of the Daily News to set the record straight.
Mr. Martinez’s posters are displayed in the store. The posters are for the supplements line Mr. Martinez endorses in the United States. By way of background, Mr. Martinez was invited as a guest poser to an event conducted by the Dominican Bodybuilders’ Federation. The Gurabo store, a sponsor of the event, requested that Mr. Martinez’s appear at the store and promote his supplements line. Your article somehow bestowed an ownership interest on to Mr. Martinez from the display of his posters of a supplements line from the United States in the Gurabo store. Your story lacks any credible evidence; I am very confident that you were not shown any documentation that supports your blanket assertion that Mr. Martinez is the owner of the Gurabo store.
The “irresponsible reporting” represents the most recent type of witch-hunt to target Victor Martinez. In 2007, Martinez was unfairly targeted in another type of steroid witch-hunt led by the grandstanding District Attorney David Soares of Albany County. Soares publicly identified Martinez as an “un-indicted co-conspirator” in the Signature Pharmacy steroid scandal; Victor was never charged with a crime after almost two years. The practice of naming unindicted co-conspirators is frowned upon by many in the legal community and unethical, if not unconstitutional. Attorney Daniel Ferreira decries the behavior of David Soares as part of a pattern of prosecutorial misconduct. Read more
IFBB professional bodybuilder Victor Martinez is expected to win the 2009 Arnold Classic bodybuilding contest on March 7, 2009 according to pro bodybuilding analysts. In addition to the rigorous precontest demands of preparing for one of the most prestigious pro bodybuilding contests on the calendar, Victor Martinez also had to contend with false reports published in the New York Daily News.
During the course of the Alex Rodriguez steroid investigation,the New York Daily News sent sports writer Christian Red down to the Dominican Republic presumably to find out how easy it was to obtain the same anabolic steroids purported to have been used by Alex Rodriguez i.e. testosterone and Primobolan. Alex Rodriguez admitted using anabolic steroids which he alleged were purchased in the Dominican Republic by his cousin.
When Christian Red learned that A-Rod’s preferred steroid Primobolan was NOT legally available in Dominican Republic pharmacies, he searched for other sources of steroids in the Caribbean nation that included gyms and supplement stores. The quest to purchase steroids led Red to the Santo Domingo supplement store identified as “Gurabo” that allegedly sells anabolic steroids. The New York Daily News FALSELY reported that Victor Martinez owned the supplement store Read more
Daniel McGlone was sentenced to two years in prison for advertising, marketing and promoting American Pharmaceutical Group (AMG) as a source for anabolic steroids and human growth hormone in bodybuilding magazines and through the internet website PrescriptionProtocol.com. Daniel McGlone aka American Pharmaceutical Group paid $18,150 to American Media Inc. (AMI) for magazine advertisements over about an 18-month period; AMI publishes the bodybuilding magazines FLEX Magazine, Muscle & Fitness and Men’s Fitness. AMG also paid for $1,800 for advertisements in the bodybuilding magazine Planet Muscle for a couple of months.
The American Pharmaceutical Group made $860,810 over a twenty-eight month period in proceeds from anabolic steroid and HGH sales to individual customers and referral bonuses from compounding pharmacies such as Signature Pharmacy. Customers responding to ads in bodybuilding magazines and on the internet were prescribed various anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Specific drugs included testosterone, testosterone cypionate, testosterone propionate, testosterone enanthate, stanozolol, nandrolone decanoate, and somatropin Read more
Sweta Patel, the third and final party targeted in the Cellular Nucleonic Advantage steroid investigation, has pleaded guilty to one count of criminal diversion of a prescription medication. A sentence of five years probation is expected as a condition of her plea agreement. She joins founder Benjamin Eugene Bolton and Monday Miller who have previously pleaded guilty to felony steroid charges for their role in CNA. All three parties have avoided prison time (”Another guilty plea in steroids probe,” December 3).
”She made sure the patients got what they wanted; she was basically the go-between for the clients and doctors,” said Albany County Assistant District Attorney Christopher Baynes, head of the office’s financial crimes unit.
The CNA case is part of a multi-state, national steroid distribution investigation targeting compounding pharmacies, like Signature Compouding Pharmacy and Applied Pharmacy Services, and anti-aging and longevity clinics, conducted by David Soares and the Office of the Albany County District Attorney. Information leaked to the press from the investigation has linked top IFBB pro bodybuilders to various anti-aging clinics, including Ronnie Coleman (Cellular Nucleonic Advantage in Sugarland, TX) and Victor Martinez (Anti-Aging Centers in Nanuet, NY); no pro bodybuilder has been targeted for prosecution as part of David Soares’ investigation Read more
Shortly after IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Victor Martinez won the 2007 Arnold Classic, Albany County District Attorney David Soare’s office publicly named Victor Martinez as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Signature Pharmacy and longevity clinic anabolic steroid scandal. Clearly, the intent and timing of the announcement represented a calculated grandstanding opportunity for David Soares to tarnish Governor Arnold Schwazenegger’s association with professional bodybuilding.
But over a year later, the Office of the Albany County District Attorney continues to prominently display Victor Martinez’ name and picture on its website in a diagram of Operation Which Doctor. He is listed with 23 other individuals directly involved in the Signature Pharmacy and longevity clinic steroid scandals. However, I believe Victor is the only individual listed who has not been indicted. But no where is he identified as an “unindicted co-conspirator” allowing visitors to make their own uninformed assumptions.
Dave Palumbo of Muscular Development reports that Victor Martinez’ ruptured patellar tendon was successfully repaired during a 2-1/2 hour operation by renowned orthopaedic surgeon Russ Warren, MD and Victor Prisk, MD. Dr Prisk is a national level bodybuilder too and gave Dave Palumbo a firsthand account of the procedure:
I just returned from a long day in the operating room at The Hospital for Special Surgery. However, this wasn’t an ordinary day in the OR for me or the bodybuilding community. One of the greatest bodybuilders to grace the Olympia stage has suffered an unfortunate mishap. Victor Martinez, while doing warm-up lunges at his gym, ruptured his patellar tendon. He consulted with myself and the world-renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Russ Warren yesturday. After confirmation of the diagnosis with x-rays and evaluation of its severity by MRI, he consented for surgery. The operation went well and he’s in good spirits. Let’s all give Victor support and encouragement throughout his recovery.
The successful surgery is good news. We wish Victor a speedy recovery and hope to see him on the competitive bodybuilding stage soon.
Source: Muscular Development
Yesterday, rumors circulated that IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Victor Martinez, the overwhelming favorite to win the 2008 Arnold Classic bodybuilding contest, injured his knee while warming up and would pull out of the Arnold. Today, Dave Palumbo of Muscular Development confirmed this unfortunate news and reported that Victor Martinez will have surgery on his knee tomorrow:
Today, he went for an MRI at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and it was determined that he’ll require surgery to repair the injury. Victor will have one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the country operating on him tomorrow morning; and, if all goes as planned, he should be home by Saturday afternoon.
This is very unfortunate news for Victor Martinez and opens Arnold Classic contest wide open for other competitors, perhaps making Phil Heath the new frontrunner.
http://www.musculardevelopment.com/content/view/1147/79/
