Angels outfielder Matthews Jr. named in steriods raid
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Athletes and celebrities were involved as customers of an illicit steroid sales network that produced arrests of four company officials on Tuesday, a New York prosecutor said. The Times Union of Albany, N.Y., first disclosed the steroid investigation in a report citing unidentified sources. The newspaper said investigators found evidence that testosterone and other performance-enhancing drugs may have been fraudulently prescribed over the Internet to current and former Major League Baseball and NFL players, college athletes, high school coaches, a former Mr. Olympia champion and another top contender in the bodybuilding competition.
Customers include Angels outfielder Gary Matthews Jr., according to the Times Union, which cited unidentified sources with knowledge of the investigation. Angels spokesman Tim Mead told The Associated Press the team was aware of the story, adding, "That's the only information we have."
Mead said manager Mike Scioscia told Matthews about it, and that general manager Bill Stoneman and Mead spoke to Matthews. An attempt by the AP to reach Matthews by phone Tuesday night was unsuccessful. "We strongly recommended that Gary inform his agent and make sure he's aware as well," Mead said. "The information is sketchy at best."
The paper said a New York investigator flew to Pittsburgh last month to interview a physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers about why he allegedly used a personal credit card to purchase roughly $150,000 in testosterone and human growth hormone in 2006. The physician, Richard A. Rydze, told the investigator the drugs were for his private patients, the paper said, citing an unidentified person briefed on the interview.
Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett told the AP that Rydze works for the club mostly on game days. He is listed among the seven doctors under the "medical staff" designation on the official team employment roster.
Arrested on Tuesday were Stan and Naomi Loomis, who own the Signature Pharmacy in downtown Orlando, Stan's brother Mike Loomis and Kirk Calvert, Signature's marketing director. Soares' office identified Signature as a "producer" of the illegally distributed drugs.
Also arrested as a result of the New York investigation were three people Soares' office described as "distributors" from a Sugarland, Texas, company called Cellular Nucleonic Advantage.
Before the investigation is complete, Soares' office said, up to 24 people could face charges, including six doctors and three pharmacists.
The Loomis' downtown pharmacy contains a small retail store that sells bodybuilding supplements, a drug laboratory and executive offices.
Investigators loaded boxes into a truck and seized drugs, including anabolic steroids and human growth hormone, said Carl Metzger, narcotics commander for Orlando's Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation.
"I can't tell you what percentage of their business was legal and how much involved stacking steroids, but there was a mix," Metzger said.
Soares' office alleges that Signature filled prescriptions, in some cases from unlicensed doctors, knowing they had not met patients. The office said at least $250,000 in illegal and controlled substances were sold directly into Albany County, and New York state sales exceeded $10 million. Soares said his investigation began after an Albany doctor was arrested for allegedly trafficking in narcotics online.
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