An Oklahoma man who claimed to have manufactured anabolic steroids only for his own personal use and that of his friends was sentenced to 37 months in prison. John Isaac Hudelson pleaded guilty to two charges related to the importation and the manufacture of anabolic steroids in June 2012. United States District Judge Claire Eagan granted Hudelson a downward departure from the recommended sentencing guidelines which called for 46 to 57 months imprisonment.
Hudelson was caught when the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials detected one kilogram of raw testosterone powder in San Francisco on January 3, 2012. The steroid powder arrived from China and was destined to Hudelson’s home address.
Law enforcement officials in Oklahoma arranged a “controlled delivery” to Hudelson’s home where they executed a search warrant. A total of 1,697 grams of steroid powder (including testosterone powder) and 889 milliliters of injectable steroids and orally-active liquid steroids were seized.
Attorney Stephen Greubel, the public defender representing Hudelson, argued in a presentencing report that Hudelson manufactured the steroids solely for his own personal use and the personal use of like-minded friends who were involved in bodybuilding and strongman competitions. An investigation conducted by law enforcement determined that the number of individuals receiving steroids from Hudelson was fifteen.
While the recommended sentencing guidelines may seem harsh, they took into account a previous felony drug conviction. The conviction was the result of substance abuse issues experienced by Hudelson while he was a teenager in college.
Greubel asked the court for a downward departure or non-guideline sentence for his client. The court accommodated his request to some degree. But the sentence still seems harsh given that much bigger steroid dealers have gotten off with much less including probation in some cases.
The Assistant United States Attorney Janet Reincke justified the sentence as needed to “send a message” to other bodybuilders who don’t appreciate the illegality of steroid use for physique enhancement.
Source:
Harper, D. (October 4, 2012). Bixby man gets 3-year prison term in testosterone-importing sting. Retrieved from http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=14&articleid=20121004_14_A8_ULNSbg248509
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