Hoots Corner

Don 

Knoxville, TN

An inspector general audit released last week said the government should consider adding steroids to the drug tests for workers in the Human Reliability Program, a special monitoring program for those with access to high-security weapons-making areas and special nuclear materials.

The National Nuclear Security Administration, in response to questions, said it's taking a serious look at the IG's recommendations. The NNSA oversees the U.S. nuclear weapons complex, including Y-12 in Oak Ridge, where some security police officers were fired earlier this year after testing positive for steroids on "for-cause" tests.

The audit report said the Department of Energy, of which the NNSA is a part, previously had been reluctant to expand the drug-testing program, saying it was neither necessary nor cost-effective. The IG said that attitude may have delayed the discovery of steroids use in Oak Ridge.

According to the IG report, "The discovery is significant because steroid abuse can lead to serious side effects such as aggressive behavior, mood swings, and depression, which could impair an individual's judgment and disqualify them from participation in the Reliability Program. Given the potential side effects of medications such as narcotic pain relievers, muscle relaxants and steroids, a more comprehensive listing of medications requiring work restrictions could serve to ensure that Reliability Program employees are performing their duties free from the impairing effects of certain prescription medications and other drugs."

Damien LaVera, a spokesman at NNSA headquarters in Washington, said the agency, in conjunction with DOE, is reviewing the recommendations of the report.

"This review is intended to determine the feasibility and desirability of incorporating steroids into current employee drug testing practices," LaVera stated in an e-mail message. "We take our commitment to a safe, accountable work force very seriously, and we want to make sure our review looks at all possible factors before a decision is made."

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Over the past few weeks, we have used this space to point out steroid busts that are occurring all over the country.  Sadly, many of our kids do not realize that possession of steroids without a legitimate prescription from a medical doctor is against the law.  Some see their favorite role models using this stuff and assume that it's okay as long as they don't get caught by the authorities in some athletic competition.

Don 

Harrisburg, PA

State narcotics agents arrested 10 people Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the use, distribution and manufacture of steroids in the Dauphin, Cumberland, Lehigh and Northampton County areas.

 

Attorney General Tom Corbett said that the investigation, known as "Operation Roid Runner," began in fall 2007 and revealed that, since 2004, the defendants were allegedly responsible for bringing more than $170,000 worth of steroids from China and Mexico into Pennsylvania.

 

"Like any illegal drug, steroids come with negative and dangerous physical effects," Corbett said. "We need to do everything we can to make sure that the public, especially young men, are aware of the dangers of using steroids, and we need to take those who distribute this poison off our streets."

 

Evidence and testimony about the alleged criminal activity was presented to a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended the criminal charges being filed.

 

According to the grand jury, five of the defendants were obtaining and selling steroids in the Cumberland and Dauphin County areas. The defendants include two personal trainers, Stacy and Eric Garonzik, who are accused of injecting clients with liquid steroids in the office of their Lemoyne gym, Kinetics, which is now closed.

 

Corbett identified the other defendants in the Harrisburg area as Robert Greynolds, Joel France and Christopher Levan. Many of the steroid deliveries in the Harrisburg area took place near Gold's Gym in Swatara Township.

 

According to the grand jury, as investigators followed the steroid supply to the Lehigh Valley, they discovered five other men, Marcus Lazaro, Chad Gillespie, John Sassaman, George Koufalis and Chris Niemczyk, all allegedly involved in distributing steroids.

 

According to the grand jury, the defendants were dealing steroids in both pill and liquid form.

 

Corbett said that the Garonziks, Lazaro and Gillespie allegedly obtained steroids by placing orders on the Internet to various individuals in China and Mexico. The international suppliers were paid via wire transfers.

 

According to the grand jury, a total of approximately $170,000 was sent overseas through wire transfers between January 2004 and January 2009. The investigation revealed that the senders used fictitious names and structured the wire payments, keeping the amounts wired below $1,000, to avoid detection by law enforcement.

 

Corbett said that because the steroid orders sometimes cost up to $9,000, Lazaro and Gillespie began to obtain bulk powder steroids.

According to the grand jury, Lazaro used the Internet to research how to make injectable steroids from powder form and, along with Gillspie, began to manufacture steroids, which they branded "Pro Lab," at Lazaro's residence in Freemansburg, Northampton County.

 

Corbett said that Sassaman and Koufalis, both bodybuilders, obtained "Pro Lab" steroids from Lazaro and Gillespie and sold them to other bodybuilders in order to pay for the expenses of bodybuilding competitions.

 

According to the grand jury, agents executed a search warrant on Lazaro's residence in Freemansburg and seized more than 9 pounds of bulk steroids, numerous syringes, a 9mm firearm, nearly $8,900 and various items used in the manufacture of steroids such as filters, oils and alcohols.

 

Corbett said that during the investigation, agents seized a total of more than 700 bottles of steroids, 1,337 pills containing steroids, 9 pounds of bulk steroids, $28,000 and four other firearms.

 

The suspects have been released on $25,000 unsecured bail.

 

They will face preliminary hearings early next year and are facing 40 to 80 years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.

One of the best programs that we conduct every year is in Scottsdale, AZ.  Sponsored by the Scottsdale Charros, we are invited to speak with all of the freshman at all of the high schools in the Greater Scottsdale area.  We will reach over 5,000 young people this week!

In addition to speaking in the schools, the local media do a wonderful job of helping us get out message out to their TV and newspaper viewers and readers.  Here is a sample of the coverage that we enjoyed this week.  Please take a look at the video which is on the link just above Taylor's picture.

Don 

Valley father uses son's death to warn of teen steroid use

SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- Don Hooton never in a million years thought his son was using steroids.  In fact, Don says he just thought his son was getting bigger by going to the gym and eating better. "Taylor put on 30 pounds of muscle in a three month period," Hooton said. "We didn't know to equate that with the behavior." A popular kid in school, Taylor Hooton was the starting pitcher for his Dallas JV baseball team.   "Used to joke with Taylor 'for you, girls are kind of like a bus,'" said Hooton. "If you wait long enough another will come around." Then Taylor's dad said a coach told him he needed to get bigger to make the varsity team. "Coach never told him to use steroids, he didn't have to because what the coach really didn't know was half the boys on Taylor's baseball team we're already doing anabolic steriods," Hooton said. Taylor's father says he started injecting himself everyday. Seven months later, Taylor went into a state of depression and killed himself.  "It has just been a nightmare," Hooton said. Now, several years later, Don and his other son, Donald, started a foundation in Taylor's name and have dedicated their lives to making sure another kid doesn't end up like Taylor. This week the men have teamed up with the Scottsdale Charros to talk to parents, students and coaches about steriod use.  "Two point five percent of high school seniors in Maricopa County admitted to using steriods," said Mark Stanton of the Charros. That's higher than the use of meth according to Stanton.  What's even scarier? He says the fastest growing group of users are young girls.  Hooton and Stanton say those girls are doing it to get the six pack abs.  "If we just focus on sports, than we're missing all the users," Hooton said. To reach Taylor Hooton or reach Don Hooton go www.taylorhooton.org.

 
By DAVID HARPER Tulsa World Staff Writer
Published: 11/13/2009  7:44 PM

An Oklahoma City bodybuilder who pleaded guilty in August to distributing an anabolic steroid was sentenced Friday in federal court in Tulsa to one month in jail and ordered to perform 400 hours of community service.

Mark Woodward, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control’s office in Oklahoma City, said in April 2008 that agents had opened the investigation after receiving a significant number of calls from high school coaches who were concerned about possible steroid use among their players.



Guy Marc Ducasse, 46, will speak to youngsters about the dangers of steroids during those community service hours.

Claire Eagan, U.S. chief district judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma, characterized the punishment as the most unusual sentence she has ever crafted. She also placed him under court supervision for three years.

Ducasse’s guilty plea was limited to one occasion of distributing Proviron to a dentist in 2006. Ducasse said he gave the drug to the man, who he said also was his friend. He denied selling the drug to the dentist.

However, Eagan said the court has found that Ducasse distributed 4,324 units of steroids to at least seven people.

That finding contributed to the federal sentencing guidelines recommending a prison sentence of 15 to 21 months.

However, Eagan said she believes that the alternate sentence she crafted was just as — if not more — “onerous” than having Ducasse spend 15 months in prison at taxpayer expense while lifting weights.

She ordered that he report to jail on Dec. 2.

After his release from jail in early January, Ducasse will be expected to speak to students — likely in Oklahoma City-area high schools — about the hazards of steroids and his related experience with the legal system.

Ducasse is to complete the

400 hours of community service over 10 months. When school is not in session during the summer, he will be expected to deliver his message at youth athletic camps, the judge ruled.

The case was prosecuted in federal court in Tulsa because it sprang from state and local undercover officers’ investigation of widespread steroid use and distribution in Tulsa.

Ducasse lived here when anabolic steroids and human growth hormone were seized March 25, 2008, from the home where Ducasse had been living in the 7500 block of East 88th Street.

Attorney at Law.com
November 13, 2009

IDS Sports Dietary Supplements Recalled for Steroids, Liver Injury Risks

Dietary supplements made by IDS Sports are being recalled because they contain steroids not listed on the labeling and may cause acute liver injury and other serious health problems, the Food and Drug Administration said.

The recalled products contain madol, turinabol, superdrol, and androstenedione, all of which are considered steroids by the FDA, officials said Specific lots and packages of the following brand-name products are included in today’s recall:

• Bromodrol

• Dual Action Grow Tabs

• Grow Tabs

• Mass Tabs

• Ripped Tabs TR

The recalled products were sold in black boxes containing blister packs of 60 capsules and white bottles with black labels containing 30 or 60 capsules, the FDA said. For a complete listing of the recalled products, see the FDA’s recall notice.

Serious Injuries Linked to Steroid Use

While there have been no reports of illnesses or injuries in people taking the recalled dietary supplements, the use of steroids has been linked to acute liver injury. Steroid use also is associated with shrinkage of the testes and male infertility, breast enlargement in males, short stature in children, a higher predilection to misuse other drugs and alcohol, adverse effects on blood lipid levels, and increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and death, the FDA said.

In May 2009, more than one dozen brands of Hydroxycut brand dietary supplements were ordered recalled after reports of liver failure and liver damage in some users. At least one user of those products died as a result of liver failure and another required a liver transplant as a result of the damage, officials said.

Customers who have the recalled IDS Sports dietary supplements in their possession should stop using them immediately and contact their physician if they have experienced any problems that may be related to using one or more of the products, federal safety officials said.

We track the press, and it is rare that a week goes by that some drug dealer doesn't get busted somewhere in this country selling steroids to kids.  Here is this week's installment.

Don

By Associated Press
10:12 AM CST, November 13, 2009

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) — A federal prosecutor says a Vian man has been convicted of distributing steroids to high school football players.

U.S. Attorney Sheldon Sperling says 38-year-old Bobby Brown was convicted Thursday on charges of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of anabolic steroids. Sperling says Brown was also convicted of distributing steroids to a person younger than 21.

The prosecutor says several Vian high school football players received steroids from Brown.

Sperling says Brown likely faces 63 months in prison when he's sentenced following a presentence report.

November 11, 2009 - NBC Sports

The mystery regarding Eagles cornerback Joselio Hanson was solved fairly quickly.

He has been suspended four games for violating the league's policy regarding anabolic steroids and related substances.

"We are disappointed," lawyer David Cornwell said in a statement.  "Joselio accepts his responsibilities as an NFL player.  Nonetheless, we suspect that he is a casualty of the looming labor war in the NFL.  Here's hoping that he is the last."

Cornwell claims that Hanson took "a pill that turned out to be a diuretic" after feeling "bloated" following a Chinese meal, prior to the NFC title game in January 2009.  "The urine specimen that Joselio provided after the game tested positive for a diuretic," Cornwell said.  "Joselio did not use steroids or any other substance that would enhance his performance."

Cornwell explains that Hanson's internal appeal was delayed as the league and the NFLPA tried to resolve the StarCaps matter, which arose last year after multiple players took an over-the-counter supplement that had been spiked by the manufacturer with a banned diuretic.

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of 65 products sold online by Bodybuilding.com that might contain steroids.

The FDA said the voluntary nationwide and international recalls were initiated by Bodybuilding.com LLC of Boise, Idaho, of all lots and expiration dates of the dietary supplements that might contain ingredients that are or should be classified as steroids, such as "Superdrol," "Madol," "Tren," "Androstenedione," and "Turinabol."

The FDA said the use of steroid-containing products can result in acute liver injury, among other adverse health consequences that include male infertility and increased risk of heart attack, stroke and death.

Bodybuilding.com officials said they agreed to the recall despite receiving assurances from all of the manufacturers that the recalled products were properly classified as dietary supplements in compliance with federal law, and did not contain any unlawful ingredient.

Consumers with questions can contact the company at 866-236-8417.

A list of the recall products is available at http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=120131111

Most people are unaware of the severe toll that anabolic steroids have on the body and the mind, especially when the user is taking extraordinarily heavy doses of these drugs.  The heart, liver, kidneys and other organs suffer to the point that overall life expectancy is reduced.

While scientists have studied the effects of these drugs when used in small doses for legitimate medicinal purposes, there have been only limited studies done on body builders, athletes and others who take steroids for illigitmate reasons.  These groups of users typically take steroids in quantities that would make your head spin!  One such study was presented to the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology and documented the relationship between the use of anabolic steroids and kidney complications.

Don

November 3,, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Abusing anabolic steroids can carry numerous health risks. In a new study of bodybuilders who abused the substance, a link may have been found between that misuse and serious kidney problems.

 In a study presented recently to the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrologyin San Diego, researchers looked at a small number of bodybuilders who had documented long-term abuse of anabolic steroids and kidney complications.

Among the 10 men, some had proteinuria, or high levels of protein in the urine, as well as renal insufficiency, or poor kidney function caused by reduced blood flow to the kidneys. Five had full nephrotic syndrome, indicated by proteinuria, low levels of protein in the blood, and high cholesterol. Nine had focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or scarring in the kidneys.

After they stopped using steroids, almost all of the bodybuilders' kidney problems improved. One study participant, however, developed advanced kidney disease and needed dialysis. Another of the bodybuilders resumed his use of steroids and developed kidney dysfunction again.

Researchers believe that the problems could be related to their substantial gains in muscle mass, which signals the kidneys to step up filtration. That added stress could lead to kidney damage. They also noted that similar organ damage is seen in morbidly obese people, but in bodybuilders it seems to be even more serious.

"Athletes who use anabolic steroids and the doctors caring for them need to be aware of the potentially serious risks to the kidney," said Dr. Leal Herlitz of Columbia University Medical Center and lead author of the study in a news release.