Smith County Men Guilty of Importing Anabolic Steroids

TYLER, Texas – Two Tyler, Texas men have pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.

Stacey Godsey, 44, and Joseph Shay Burton, 39, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import anabolic steroids today before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell.

According to information presented in court, beginning in the summer of 2014 and continuing until the spring of 2016, Godsey and Burton purchased anabolic steroids through the internet from suppliers located in China. The steroids were shipped to the United States where Godsey and Burton converted them from powder to liquid dosage units in the kitchen and garage of Godsey's residence. Once converted into liquid dosage units, the steroids were sold and distributed to steroid users in Tyler, Texas and elsewhere. In the spring of 2016, law enforcement officers searched residences belonging to Godsey and Burton. More than 60,000 dosage units of anabolic steroids were found at Godsey's residence. More than 6,000 dosage units were found at Burton's residence.

Under federal statutes, the defendants each face up to 10 years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tyler Police Department, and the Smith County Sheriff's Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld.