January 14, 2008 at 11:42:00 AM | more stories by this author
Albany, New York-based Times Union details inquiry by county district attorney; Timbaland, Wyclef Jean, Tyler Perry, and Sylvester Stallone also named.
They might not be hitting home runs or making tackles, but a trio of hip-hoppers and the Queen of Hip Hop Soul reportedly have been named in an Albany-based investigation into steroid trafficking.
A report in Sunday's Times-Union of Albany, New York, said that a wide-ranging probe by Albany District Attorney P. David Soares found that 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Timbaland, and Wyclef Jean may have received or used performance-enhancing drugs, as did Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone and award-winning author and producer Tyler Perry.
Soares has declined to comment on or confirm the identities of the stars mentioned in the report. The paper reported that the celebrities received prescribed human growth hormone or steroids. In some cases aliases were used for their delivery.
His multistate investigation has focused on Signature Pharmacy of Orlando, Florida. So far 10 defendants have pleaded guilty, and some professional athletes have been linked to the probe in news reports.
Law enforcement officials have said evidence does not indicate that the celebrities broke the law. Officials are focusing on the doctors, pharmacists, and clinics that provide the drugs.
According to the Times-Union, Soares said Signature was at the center of a web of businesses and doctors that illegally wrote prescriptions for steroids for patients they did not examine. The investigation gained national attention almost a year ago when authorities raided Signature. The company's owners and the pharmacy’s operators are awaiting trial in Albany on related charges.
Today, Anna Maria Santi, a former doctor from Queens who was nabbed as part of the investigation, was sentenced to three to six years in prison for rubber-stamping hundreds of drug prescriptions for patients she never examined. Santi reportedly had written more than $150,000 in prescriptions for Internet steroid customers, according to authorities.
None of the celebrities named in the Times-Union report have commented yet on it.




8 Comments
Oldest First | Newest FirstLOL, this is silly. These people are musicians, what does it matter? I don't know why its illegal for athletes. Homeruns and touchdowns are fun. Thats 100% what they are paid to do. Its a 100% victimless crime. Not only that, but its a "crime" that spreads joy to millions of people across the globe with no negative side effects for anyone but the user. Why is that bad? You're lying if you tell me you're weren't excited when McGuire was hitting all those home runs. We pay athletes for skill and athletic ability. Steroids won't increase your skill, but it amps your athletic ability so whats the big deal?
Children are being molested, women raped, houses broken into, people killed... yet congress thinks tax payer money should be diverted from stopping those crimes and arresting a baseball player for hitting home runs or people for trying to get in shape.
Mary J. Blige taking 'roid, that's surprising.