Gloucester Woman Sentenced for Role in Counterfeit Steroid Trafficking Scheme

BOSTON – A Gloucester woman was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for her role in a conspiracy to traffic steroids and launder money.  

Melissa Sclafani, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to one year and one day in prison and two years of supervised release. In June 2017, Sclafani pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy with intent to distribute and to distribute counterfeit steroids and one count of conspiracy to launder money. On April 12, 2017, Sclafani and five others were charged by criminal complaint.

From at least February 2016 until April 12, 2017, Sclafani conspired with others to manufacture steroid products, market them as “Onyx” steroids, and sell them to customers across the United States using email and social media platforms. Customers paid for the steroids via money remitters, such as Western Union and MoneyGram, and members of the conspiracy used false identifications and multiple remitter locations to pick up the steroid proceeds.

Sclafani obtained materials and supplies to manufacture the counterfeit steroids and served as the corporate secretary of Wicked Tan LLC, a tanning business in Beverly that was owned by two co-conspirators. Sclafani assisted members of the conspiracy in laundering proceeds from the sale of counterfeit steroids through the business.     

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Raymond Moss, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal investigation, New York Field Office, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Harman Burkart and David J. D’Addio of Lelling’s Cybercrime Unit prosecuted the case.