kansas business owner pleads guilty to distributing
$1.3 million worth of steroids
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – David M. Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas business owner pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute more than $1.3 million worth of steroids.
Scott Lofquist, 52, of Fairway, Kan., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to the charge contained in a Sept. 21, 2011, federal indictment.
By pleading guilty today, Lofquist admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute nearly 1.3 million units of anabolic steroids through his business, at a retail value of $1,368,519, from June 1, 2008, to March 30, 2010.
Lofquist was the owner of Lifetime Wellness, LLC, which operated out of his home and the home of a co-manager (identified as “E.H.” in the indictment) in Kansas City, Mo. Lofquist sold controlled substances through Lifetime Wellness, including anabolic steroids (such as Testosterone Cypionate, Stanozolol/Oxandrolone and Nadrolone Decanoate), as well as non-controlled prescription drugs (such as hGH and Sermorelin) for anti-aging, body building and/or athletic performance enhancement.
Co-defendant Rodney Baltazar, 49, of Elkton, Md., is scheduled to plead guilty on Thursday, April 19, 2012, to his role in the conspiracy. Baltazar was a doctor of osteopathy licensed to practice medicine in the state of Delaware.
Baltazar had an arrangement with Lofquist to write patient prescriptions outside the scope of professional practice. Baltazar did not conduct in-person medical evaluations, nor were the drugs prescribed for a legitimate medical purpose.
Under federal statutes, Lofquist and Baltazar are each subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $500,000. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jane Pansing Brown and Gene Porter. It was investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigation.
