United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

MANSFIELD, TEXAS, MAN ARRESTED IN OKLAHOMA FOR
POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE ANABOLIC STEROIDS

FORT WORTH, Texas — Joshua Hodnik, who was indicted in August 2007 in the Northern District of Texas for possessing with intent to distribute anabolic steroids at his home in Mansfield, Texas, was arrested this morning in Oklahoma City by agents of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and deputies with the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. Hodnik made his initial appearance this afternoon before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Oklahoma who remanded him to the custody of the U.S. Marshal for removal to the Fort Worth Division of the Northern District of Texas where he will face charges. No date has been set yet for his first court appearance in Fort Worth.

A federal grand jury returned the one-count indictment charging Hodnik, 30, with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. A warrant was issued for his arrest at that time, but Hodnik fled and was not apprehended until this morning. If convicted of the charge alleged in the indictment, he faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Tarrant County Narcotics Unit, and the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office, and noted that the investigation is continuing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Dewald is prosecuting the case.

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