Steroid Abuse Information and Resources

No prison in plea deal on steroids
Florida doctor gets probation, fine in return for agreeing to testify
 
By Robert Gavin
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
    A Florida doctor who rubber-stamped thousands of prescriptions for illegal steroids was spared prison time Tuesday under a plea bargain that forces him to testify against colleagues nabbed in a nationwide investigation. 
Robert Carlson, 50, of Sarasota, Fla., will receive five years probation and must forfeit $300,000 under the deal agreed-upon in Albany County Court.
Carlson admitted signing off on a bogus prescription Nov. 21, which a patient then billed to Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance for a claim in excess of $2,000. The doctor pleaded guilty to fourth-degree insurance fraud, a felony carrying up to four years in prison, during his appearance before acting Supreme Court Justice Dan Lamont.
In doing so, Carlson became the ninth person to plead guilty since investigators for Albany County District Attorney David Soares raided Signature Compounding Pharmacy in Orlando in late February. All nine are expected to testify for prosecutors, should the case reach trial.
The pharmacy is accused of distributing steroids, including growth hormone, across the country through the Internet, shady clinics and complicit doctors such as Carlson.
Prosecutors said the physician signed off on some 10,000 prescriptions -- more than half for illegal steroids -- over a one-year period while working for Palm Beach Rejuvenation, a Florida wellness center.
Prosecutors have said the outfit paid thousands of dollars to Internet search engine sites, such as Google. In turn, customers seeking steroids would be sent to its Web site when they typed in key words.
When customers were asked to send blood-test results and other information to the clinic, Carlson would then sign off on prescriptions for drug orders. Signature, in turn, would ship the drugs to locations across the country. Ten went to Albany County, prosecutors said.
'This plea today is very significant," Soares told reporters outside the courtroom Tuesday.
While Soares described Carlson as a key player in the steroid network, he said prosecutors' main focus remains the distributors.
He is expected to testify against Palm Beach Rejuvenation co-founder Glen Stephanos; his brother, marketing director George Stephanos; and medical director Ryan Dumas. Carlson will also implicate Signature's owners, Robert "Stan" Loomis and his wife, Naomi Loomis, the owner's brother, pharmacist Kenneth "Michael" Loomis and Signature business manager Kirk Calvert.
Carlson, who waived his right to appeal, had faced up to 25 years in prison on enterprise corruption charges, will be sentenced Nov. 9.