United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

Operation Phony Pharm: TEXAS MAN WHO DISTRIBUTED STEROIDS OVER THE INTERNET IS SENTENCED

Nora R. Dannehy, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that COREY L. STANFORD, JR., 32, of Austin, Texas, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Janet C. Hall in Bridgeport to one year of probation, the first four months of which STANFORD must serve in home confinement, for distributing anabolic steroids.  Judge Hall also ordered STANFORD to pay a fine in the amount of $2000 and to perform 100 hours of community service.  STANFORD pleaded guilty to the offense on April 18, 2008.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, STANFORD used the Internet, including the website www.sell.com, to communicate with individuals interested in buying steroids.  STANFORD then sent the steroids to those individuals through the mail.

This matter stems from Operation Phony Pharm, an investigation headed by the FBI’s Healthcare Fraud Unit in the District of Connecticut.  Using several sophisticated investigative techniques, this initiative has targeted web sites and individuals who are selling Schedule II and III pharmaceuticals over the Internet without a doctor’s consultation or a legitimate legal written prescription.  The investigation also sought to identify and close down underground laboratories in the U.S. that are making these drugs from raw materials obtained from outside the U.S.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward Chang.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov