|
|
[Definitie:] "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance."
(Wilmore and Costill) 
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
0 8 - 0 9 - 2 0 0 7 Cops bust steroid ring operated out of two Queens gyms
BY KERRY BURKE, VERONIKA BELENKAYA, and ALISON GENDAR
A female boxer, an ex-cop, an aspiring porn star, a Bentley fanatic and an actor were among dozens busted for hawking steroids out of two Queens muscle gyms, police said yesterday.
The eclectic crew peddled $100 bottles of the performance-enhancing drugs at the Powerhouse Gym in Flushing and Envy Us Gym in College Point.
Both gyms were shuttered as part of the crackdown, which the NYPD dubbed Operation Dumbbell.
"They turned the gyms into drug supermarkets," said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
The muscle juice pulled in so much dough that 'roid pusher Gregory Kovar, 43, used his slice of the weekly $50,000 take to buy two condos in Silverpointe Estates, a gated community in College Point where he lived, authorities said.
One townhouse held his makeshift steroid lab - complete with bottling and labeling machines, authorities said.
The other he converted into a marble-floored garage for his $240,000 Bentley and $86,000 custom-built motorcycle, cops said. A chrome wet bar gave visitors a view of the auto and the rest of the gaudy digs. His speed boat - the Bada Bing - was moored offshore.
When detectives arrived Thursday with a search warrant for Kovar's properties, Kovar - a brawny 5-feet-2 - crawled out a window in his underwear trying to escape, cops said.
"Half of what he sold was a scam," said NYPD Capt. Andrew Savino. "He bought the raw materials, mixed them with some kind of oil and would put on a label of a real company that had closed five years ago. And this is what people injected."
Undercover detectives made 76 buys at the two gyms, scoring in locker rooms, trainer's offices, on the gym floor - and even at the front desk.
"Our undercover detectives infiltrated this closed circle, a difficult thing," said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly as he detailed the 18-month probe.
The sting nabbed Envy Us manager and trainer Jordan Maldonado, 41, who cops said sold real pills and vials of fake drugs to the wanna-be boxers training at his gym.
Maldonado, the star of "Bounce: Behind the Velvet Rope" a film about nightclub bouncers, [behindthevelvetrope.com] got his wife - ninth-ranked junior lightweight boxer Cindy (Checkmate) Serrano - to push the drugs, too. But cops said they had no evidence Serrano used the stuff.
Serrano, 25, faces nine years in prison if convicted of the drug charges. A Queens judge set her bail at $10,000.
"My daughter is innocent. That's all I want to say," Serrano's mother said as she unleashed two small dogs on a reporter at her Brooklyn home. "She's innocent."
Also caught allegedly dealing was Mario Godoy, 34, a Bayside bodybuilder who cops said had a bit part in one of the Subway sandwich shop commercials: He played a burly construction worker who loves big, meaty heros.
Disgraced ex-NYPD cop Benigno Mercado, 40, of College Point, was charged with dealing. He had been tossed off the force a year ago after he was caught driving a car with stolen license plates.
Vikki Comer, 22, of Bayside, was described by law enforcement sources as an aspiring porn star who dealt drugs at the gyms as she awaited her big break.
Christopher Pepitone, 32, was surprised to find the Powerhouse Gym padlocked when he arrived yesterday to work out. "You see some young, small guys get huge overnight," he said.
0 8 - 0 9 - 2 0 0 7 Gyms Yield Drug Arrests, Makeshift Steroid Lab Shuttered
North Country Gazette
QUEENS—More than two dozen individuals including family members and the ninth ranked lightweight female boxer and her husband/trainer, have been arrested on drug-related charges as a result of an 18-month undercover investigation focused on two gyms in the Flushing and College Point sections of Queens.
A makeshift steroid lab was also uncovered.
The gyms have been shut down and padlocked under court orders sought by the NYPD.
Prosecutors identified the gyms as the Powerhouse Gym, located at 35-09 Francis Lewis Boulevard in Flushing, and the Envy Us Gym, located at 126-19 20th Avenue in College Point. The gyms were declared public nuisances and ordered closed by Queens Supreme Court Justice Orin R. Kitzes.
"Far from being healthy environments for the body and the mind, the gyms were allegedly turned into drug supermarkets by many of the defendants who openly and illegally sold performance drugs wanted by body builders, as well as a cornucopia of highly addictive and potentially dangerous prescription painkillers and street drugs, in and around the two locations", district attorney Richard A. Brown said. "Today, we issue a clear message – businesses that allow drug trafficking or other criminal activity to occur on their premises are at risk of being shut down and those breaking the law face felony charges and serious prison time."
The investigation began in March 2006 when the NYPD's Queens Narcotics Division began to make a number of undercover narcotic buys and conduct extensive physical surveillance at the Powerhouse and the Envy Us Gyms. As a result, the Narcotics Investigation Bureau was able to obtain court authorization for search warrants to be executed at 10 locations – including the two gyms and the residences of various defendants.
In executing a search warrant at the College Point home of defendants Gregory Kovar and Grace Labartino, for instance, police allegedly discovered a makeshift steroid lab and recovered torches, a centrifuge, syringes and gallon bottles containing liquid steroids. In all, police recovered more than an ounce of cocaine, a .357 revolver, a shotgun, approximately 50 Oxycontin pills, numerous boxes containing steroids in both liquid and powder form, and nearly $40,000 in cash as a result of the search warrants.
Typically, drug dealers who manufacture their own steroids purchase hormones in powder form from outside the United States. The dealer then mixes the powder hormone with oil and alcohol and "cooks" it into liquid form. The liquid is then packaged into bottles, generally 10 or 20 milliliter bottles.
During the investigation, the undercover officers – who posed as drug dealers – are alleged to have made more than 60 separate purchases of steroids, cocaine and prescription narcotics – such as Vicodin, Oxycontin, Percocet and Xanax – from the defendants. Many of the purchases were allegedly made inside the locker rooms, on the gym floor, in the trainer’s office and near the front desk.
Arrested were:
Gerald Alvarez, 26, of 149045 Northern Boulevard in Flushing, is charged with first- and second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. He is presently being sought.
Bryan Benini, 43, of 882 Arctic St. in Lindenhurst, is a former employee and currently a member of the Powerhouse Gym. He is charged with third- and fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison.
Vikki Comer, 22, of 15-60 200th St. in Bayside, Queens, and 32 Bartlett St. in New Brunswick, NJ, is the girlfriend of defendant Vincent Labartino. She is charged with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, she faces up to nine years in prison.
Alex DiPietrantonio, 24, of 21-03 Murray Street in Whitestone, Queens, is a member of the Envy Us Gym. He is charged with second- and -third-degree grand larceny. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Robert Gheorghita, 33, of 144-63 35th Avenue in Flushing, Queens, is a former employee and currently a member of the Powerhouse Gym. He is charged with first- , second-, third- and fourth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Mario Godoy, 34, of 39-41 213th St. in Bayside, Queens, and 7150 South Euclid Ave., in Chicago, Ill., is an employee and member of the Powerhouse Gym. He is charged with fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to two and one-half years in prison.
Dmitri Katakalides, 25, of 114-31 South Drive in Malba, Queens, is a member of the Powerhouse Gym. He is charged with third- and fourth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison.
Gregory Kovar, 43, of 3-26 Julius Road in College Point, Queens, is the husband of defendant Grace Labartino. He is charged with second- and fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Charles Kubelka, 31, of 14-76 154th St. in Whitestone, Queens, is charged with second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Grace Labartino, 42, of 3-26 Julius Road in College Point, Queens, is the sister of defendant Vincent Labartino and the wife of defendant Gregory Kovar. She is charged with first-degree conspiracy to commit a sale of a controlled substance and fifth-degree attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, she faces up to eight and one-half years to 25 years in prison.
Vincent Labartino, 41, of 119-38 7th Avenue in Whitestone, Queens, is the brother of defendant Grace Labartino and the brother-in-law of defendant Gregory Kovar. Labartino, who used to work at a personal trainer at both gyms, is charged with first-, second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
James Lana, 43, of 43-18 208th Street in Bayside, Queens, is a member of the Powerhouse Gym and the owner of Turbo Contracting. He is charged with first-, second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Jordan Maldonado, 41, of 74-19 85th Drive in Woodhaven, Queens, is the manager and a boxing trainer at Envy Us Gym. He is the husband of Cindy Serrano, presently the ninth ranked junior lightweight female boxer, and the brother-in-law of defendant Amanda Serrano. Maldonado was featured in "Bounce: Behind the Velvet Rope," a film about nightclub bouncers. He is charged with second- third- and fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and fourth-degree grand larceny. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Victor Maria, 42, of 14-27 116th Street in College Point, Queens. He is charged with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison.
Benigno Mercado, 40, of Queens, is a member of the Powerhouse Gym and a former police officer. He is charged with second- and fourth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Michael Minutillo, 42, of 208-08 43rd Avenue in Bayside, Queens, is an employee of defendant James Lana’s construction company. He is charged with first- and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Matthew Moody, 34, of 64-35 186th Lane in Fresh Meadows, Queens, is the manger and a member of the Powerhouse Gym. Moody, who is the boyfriend of defendant Jessica Mosca, is charged with second- third-, fourth- and fifth degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Jessica Mosca, 31, of 64-35 186th Lane in Fresh Meadows, Queens, is the girlfriend of defendant Matthew Moody. She is charged with second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison.
Giancarlo Ruocco, 17, of 34-42 202nd Street in Bayside, Queens, is a member and a former part time employee of the Envy Us Gym. He is charged with third- and fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison.
Michael Riccobono, 28, of 199-31 34th Avenue in Bayside, Queens, is a member of the Powerhouse Gym. He is charged with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison.
Christopher Rodriguez, 30, of 70-05 165th Street in Fresh Meadows, Queens, is a member of the Powerhouse Gym. He is charged with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison.
Cindy "Checkmate" Serrano, 25, of 59 Stanhope Street in Brooklyn, is the ninth ranked junior lightweight female boxer and a member of the Envy Us Gym. She is the wife of defendant Jordan Maldonado and the sister of defendant Amanda Serrano. She is charged with third- and fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, she faces up to nine years in prison.
Amanda Serrano, 19, of 59 Stanhope Street in Brooklyn, is the sister of defendant Cindy Serrano and the sister-in-law of defendant Jordan Maldonado. She is charged with fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, she faces two and one-half years in prison.
Alessandro Vozzolo, 53, of 314 Wolf Hill Road in Dix Hills, Long Island, is the owner of Paces Barber Shop at 40-02 Bell Boulevard in Bayside, Queens. He is charged with second- and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison.
|
|
|
