A Nebraska doctor was sentenced Wednesday in Tulsa to probation in connection with a cross-country steroids conspiracy.
Dr. Raymond Heller of Omaha will spend the first eight months of his five-year probation under house arrest and will be expected to perform 100 hours of community service, U.S. Chief District Judge Claire Eagan ruled. She said Heller would face as much as 10 years in prison if his probation is revoked.
Heller also will be partially responsible for a $685,741 judgment along with Edward Franklin Ward, 52, of Harvest, Ala. The penalty represents the proceeds the court found that were generated by the conspiracy.
Heller, 50, pleaded guilty in June, admitting that from Oct. 1, 2008, until April 8, 2010, he participated in a plot to dispense androgenic anabolic steroids outside the usual course of professional medical practice.
He said in plea documents that he signed prescriptions forwarded to him by Ward, primarily for testosterone, to clients of Ward's "anti-aging" business without having conducted any physical examinations or even having any direct contact with the clients.
He said in his plea agreement that he was paid $50 for each prescription he signed.
Ward pleaded guilty June 10 to a conspiracy charge and is scheduled to be sentenced April 10.
Both men were charged in March by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tulsa.
The conspiracy reportedly involved the distribution of more than 40,000 doses to dozens of customers across the country, including in Oklahoma, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn McCormick.
McCormick said the steroids were distributed to people in various professions and mostly came from a pharmacy in Florida.
Heller's attorney, Keith Ward, who is not related to Edward Ward, stated in his sentencing memorandum that Heller's intention was to make "anti-aging drugs available to persons whose medical profiles were indicative of a hormone deficiency."
Eagan mentioned Heller's otherwise law-abiding life among the reasons for sentencing him to probation instead of prison.
Heller told the court he is not practicing medicine and said he will soon have a hearing before a Nebraska review board that will decide whether to revoke his license.
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