Bodybuilding.com CEO admits selling steroids

[STEROID]

Bodybuilding.com CEO admits selling steroids

The founder of an online fitness and bodybuilding company in Idaho pleaded guilty Monday to illegally selling misbranded dietary supplements that contained steroids, according to federal prosecutors.

Ryan Deluca, CEO of Meridian-based Bodybuilding.com, also agreed in a plea deal to pay a $500,000 fine for the company's sale of five products between 2007 and 2009 that contained synthetic anabolic steroids or chemical clones of steroids.


DeLuca, 34, acknowledged the five products — I Force Methadrol, Nutra Costal D-Stianozol, I Force Dymethazine, Rage RV5 and Genetic Edge Technologies SUS500 — were drugs sold improperly under the label of "dietary supplements."


"DeLuca acknowledged at the plea hearing that as Bodybuilding.com's CEO, he was responsible for Bodybuilding.com's sales of misbranded products," prosecutors said in a statement.


The company generated $1.8 million through the first seven and a half months of 2009 from the falsely labeled products and other similar substances, according to court records.


Each of the five misdemeanor violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act carries up to a year in prison, but in the plea bargain, prosecutors are recommending probation.


Federal officials raided the company's headquarters in 2009 following a two-year investigation that involved a special agent for the FDA buying 23 products from the company that tested positive for anabolic steroids.


Many of the products were neither safe nor legal and by selling them, the company was "misleading, defrauding and endangering its customers," according to the agent.
The FDA cited reports that men between 22 and 55 who had used such products have suffered liver problems, stroke, kidney failure and blockage of an artery in the lung, called a pulmonary embolism.


A company spokesman said the organization had not been manufacturing the products in question.


DeLuca will be sentenced in a U.S. District Court in Boise on June 20.

[darksidefitness]

So...he sold PH right. I thought that as a company PH are still legal. Just illegal to use if you are a high caliber competitor. hmmmm???? I know is not the first company and the sad part of the story is...probably is not the last one...

[BIGBOSS]

BRUTAL!!!

[Spawn]

This is nonesense. They knew what they were buying lol.

[ShortnWide]

Just another BS bust over splitting hairs on legal products to make $ off companies that have substantial income from pro hormones.

[ODB]

So...he sold PH right. I thought that as a company PH are still legal. Just illegal to use if you are a high caliber competitor. hmmmm???? I know is not the first company and the sad part of the story is...probably is not the last one...

The Steroid Control Act list's Steroid by chemical structure and it is updated when the DEA wishes to add new combinations.
So they may have tested as a component or combo on the list or were added in 2007?

I also believe in this case they were not 100% honest - selling PH as a dietary supplement not fully disclosing that they were PH -per FDA regs.

here is a copy of the Plea agreement; http://posting.boiseweekly.com/image...building_2.pdf

[mikeyg51]

yeah, don't know which way to go on this one...I feel like they just might be splitting hairs and harassing him, knowing they will get money outa him

[STEROID]

Just another BS bust over splitting hairs on legal products to make $ off companies that have substantial income from pro hormones.

AGREED.

[STEROID]

I also believe in this case they were not 100% honest - selling PH as a dietary supplement not fully disclosing that they were PH -per FDA regs.

Correct.This is what the case was based on.Which is bullshit anyway.As stated,they're trying to blur the line between whats legal and illegal which brings us always back to the real issue.........NO AAS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL!!!!

Oh yeah,thats right,its make it unfair to the guys not using them!! Poor babies!!! They were promised that life was going to be fair!!!!!!

[basskiller]

whenever they want, they can decide an ingrediant is a drug and then your breaking the law.. I guess they need to stop putting the words dietary supplement on the label..

They went after BB.com because they knew they could get the most from them/him in fines and such.. I find it ironic that if you have enough to pay their fines, the prosecutors will recomend probation.. Yet you or I were to sell those same PH's.. would get years..

The FDA is nothing more than paid watchdogs of big chem companies