Chapter[ IX. The Threat Posed By Internet Sales of Steroids and Human Growth
Hormone ]
Section[ Jose Canseco ]
Jose Canseco
The March 6, 2006 Sports Illustrated article reported that Jose Canseco’s name
appeared in customer records that had been seized from Applied Pharmacy Services.470 The
article reported that Canseco made purchases in 2004 of human growth hormone (somatropin),
testosterone, stanozolol, and HCG, along with 340 syringes using a now-defunct Florida anti-
aging clinic called Health Watch. The purchases were shipped to Canseco at his home in
California. Canseco could not be reached for comment at the time of the article.471
467 Jack Curry, Byrd Admits Using H.G.H. to Treat Tumor, N.Y. Times, Oct. 22, 2007,
at D8.
468 Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada, Drug Scandal Hits the Playoffs,
S.F. Chron., Oct. 21, 2007, at A1.
469 Anthony McCarron and T.J. Quinn, MLB Denies Allowing Paul Byrd to Use HGH,
N.Y. Daily News, Oct. 22, 2007.
470 Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim, Rx for Trouble: Inside the Steroid Sting,
Sports Illustrated, Mar. 12, 2007, at 62; see also Big Names Surface in Drug Sting: Holyfield,
Matthews Jr., Canseco Linked as Clients, SI.com, Feb. 28, 2007.
471 Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim, Rx for Trouble: Inside the Steroid Sting,
Sports Illustrated, Mar. 12, 2007, at 62.
246
In the article, his lawyer Robert Saunooke reportedly said that he doubted that
Canseco was a customer of Applied because he was unaware of his client using the internet for
purchases of performance enhancing substances.472 In a later telephone interview with my
investigative staff, however, Saunooke confirmed that Canseco had purchased human growth
hormone over the internet on several occasions, both before and after his retirement from
baseball. Saunooke said that Canseco had taken a blood test in connection with these purchases.
He was not, however, certain of the time frame of these purchases or whether Canseco purchased
human growth hormone or other controlled substances from any other internet sites.
Jay Gibbons
In a September 9, 2007 article, Sports Illustrated reported that Baltimore Orioles
outfielder Jay Gibbons was another major league player whose name appeared in Signature
Pharmacy client records. According to the article, between October 2003 and July 2005,
Gibbons reportedly received six shipments of human growth hormone (Genotropin), two
shipments of testosterone, and two shipments of HCG pursuant to prescriptions from South
Beach Rejuvenation Center in Miami Beach, Florida that were filled by Signature Pharmacy.
The orders were shipped to Gibbons at his home in Arizona.473
The article reported that one of the two physicians whose name appeared on
Gibbons’s prescriptions was A. Almarashi, the retired physician whose name and DEA number
were forged by Ana Maria Santi, the former physician who has pleaded guilty to both federal and
New York State charges arising from the investigation.474 Gibbons declined to comment on any
472 Big Names Surface in Drug Sting: Holyfield, Matthews, Jr., Canseco Linked as
Clients, SI.com, Feb. 28, 2007.
473 Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim, Gibbons Received Banned Drugs; O’s
Outfielder Latest Athlete Tied to Pipeline Pharmacy, SI.com, Sept. 9, 2007.
474 Id.; see supra at 240-41.
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of these allegations.475 Neither I nor any member of my investigative staff had any prior
knowledge of these allegations about Gibbons.
In the meetings in October 2003 among Los Angeles Dodgers officials, it was
reportedly said that “Gibbons is a guy would have interest in but juice involved there.” 476
The Commissioner’s Office met with Gibbons on September 18, 2007 to discuss
the news reports.477 On December 6, 2007, the Commissioner’s Office announced a 15-day
suspension of Gibbons for violation of the joint drug program, to take effect at the start of the
2008 season. After the suspension was announced, Gibbons said: “I am deeply sorry for the
mistakes that I have made. I have no excuses and bear sole responsibility for my decisions.
Years ago, I relied on the advice of a doctor, filled a prescription, charged the HGH, which is a
medication, to my credit card and had only intended to help speed my recovery from my injuries
and surgeries.”478
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