There are good reasons that individuals who have been indicted on anabolic steroid distribution charges often plead guilty rather than take their case to trial. Jessica Howard learned the hard way on Friday, March 23, 2012. Howard lost her case and was found guilty of trafficking in anabolic steroids and engaging in corrupt activity under Ohio state law.
Defense attorney Frank Schiavone, Jr. argued that his client had no involvement whatsoever in the steroid distribution organization that targeted clients at local gyms including the Countryside YMCA and the Urban Active gyms. Schiavone told jurors that the only reason Howard was sucked into this mess was due to her fiancé’s involvement as a secondary ringleader in the steroid operation.
Howard’s fiancé was Matthew Geraci. Geraci was the primary distributor for a man who imported steroids from an underground laboratory (UGL) in Tennessee. Geraci operated a locker storage business in which buyers and sellers of steroids could conduct steroid transactions while avoiding face-to-face interaction.
It was Howard’s fiancé who testified against her in a Warren County courtroom. Geraci described in detail the role that Howard played in operating the steroid locker business. His testimony on behalf of the prosecution helped guaranteed a conviction.
The Warren County Drug Task Force and the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office indicted thirty-two people on 248 charges that included multiple counts of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, steroid trafficking and steroid possession.
Howard may ultimately be the only defendant (out of 32 individuals indicted) who goes to trial as a result of the “Operation Bulk-Up” steroid investigation.
Twenty-seven of the 32 co-defendents were given probation after pleading guilty or receiving “intervention”. Howard was only one of five individuals who were scheduled to go to trial. Of those five, one co-defendant died, one had his case dismissed and two were not listed in court records.
Howard now faces up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced in April 2012.
Source:
WLWT. (March 26, 2012). Woman Found Guilty Of Participating In Steroid Ring. Retrieved from http://www.wlwt.com/news/30762261/detail.html
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