Two Men Plead Guilty in MuscleBear Steroid Case

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Two individuals pleaded guilty as co-defendants in “a large international conspiracy” involving the distribution of anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs according to federal prosecutors in Western Pennsylvania. Paul Matthews and Ronald Sales admitted doing business with an internet steroid source know on bodybuilding forums as “Musclebear”. Musclebear had been a popular internet source for anabolic steroids and ancillary bodybuilding drugs for over a decade.

Matthews admitted operating an underground lab where he made his own finished steroid products after purchasing the raw steroid powders from the Ukrainian-based Musclebear. Sales also did business with Musclebear which involved receiving money on behalf of Musclebear as part of Musclebear’s domestic remailer service that he offered to steroid customers in the United States.

United States Assistant Attorney Mary McKeen Houghton identified two Ukrainian men who were involved in the Musclebear steroid organization as Aleksandr “Musclebear” Skochyk and Yeveniy Suray. Skochyk was the “boss” of the Musclebear steroid organization who was responsible for all payment and supply issues while Suray was responsible for day-to-day operations. They were arrested in Cyprus on March 17, 2010.

Skochyk and Suray were indicted by a Pittsburgh-based grand jury last year and remained in a Cyprus-jail pending extradition hearings. This week, federal prosecutors reported that the two men are currently being extradited to the United States.

Musclebear’s two U.S.-based domestic remailers were also busted on March 17, 2010.  They operated out of Rainier, Oregon and Amarillo, Texas. Information related to the prosecution of Musclebear’s domestic remailers has not yet been made public. It is unknown if any other indictments are forthcoming in the Musclebear steroid case.