A fourth conviction for steroid distribution earned an Iowa man 20 months in prison Thursday, making him the first person sentenced of four indicted through a multi-agency investigation.
"I messed up again," Ronald J. Sales, 47, told U.S. District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose.
Mr. Sales served as a middleman for a Ukrainian-directed ring's Chinese-made steroids, of which they distributed tens of thousands of doses. He will forfeit $21,183 that prosecutors said he gained through crime and will be under federal supervision for three years after release.
Paul G. Matthews, a Pittsburgh-area representative of the conspiracy, is to be sentenced Jan. 3.
Ukrainians Oleksandr "Musclebear" Skochyk and Yeveniy Suray were arrested in Cyprus in 2010, extradited and arraigned here in June. Both have pleaded not guilty.
"This was a major operation, an international ring," Judge Ambrose said.
The Drug Enforcement Agency, Food and Drug Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Postal Service were involved in the investigation of the ring.
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