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[Definitie:] "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance."
(Wilmore and Costill) 
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0 5 - 0 3 - 2 0 0 5 Physician accused of selling prescription drugs illegally online
Saturday, March 5, 2005
ALBANY, N.Y. -- A 44-year-old upstate physician has been charged with selling prescription drugs illegally over the Internet.
According to police, Dr. David Stephenson of Rome was indicted after undercover officers bought the narcotic methadone, the stimulant Ritalin, the painkiller hydrocodone and the steroid nandrolone from Web sites linked to Stephenson. The buyers had no examination, interview or prescription issued.
Stephenson was arraigned Friday in Albany City Court on four charges and held without bail at the Albany County Jail, police said.
The state Health Department asked police in suburban Colonie to investigate Stephenson after noting large purchases from pharmaceutical wholesalers. Police said that led to the Web sites www.docstat.com and www.Medstogo.com where anti-depressants, other steroids and sexual-enhancement drugs also were available.
Colonie Doctor Arrested for Drug Trafficking
WTEN.com
A Utica Area doctor is in the Albany County Jail after being charged with running an international drug trafficking operation over the internet. Investigators were in the house of Dr. David Stephenson in Rome Friday, confiscating materials used in his illegal drug operation. All kinds of prescription drugs as well as steroids and the computers he used to sell them to customers without a prescription for the last four years, were among the things taken. Police say Stephenson is in fact a drug trafficker, he had no valid patient-physician relationship with any of his patients. State Department of Health investigators caught on to his 500,000 dollar a year operation during a routine check of what legit pharmaceutical wholesalers were selling to people in New York. "The majority of them are legitimate drugs sold by legitimate pharmaceutical wholesalers," said Michael Moffett of the New York State Department of Health, "Anything from painkillers to anti-depressants to sexual enhancement drugs to GHB, growth hormone drugs...steroids are very popular." The Health Department contacted Colonie Police, who has expertise in internet stings. Investigators spent a month buying from Stephenson, who allegedly called them to make sure they had gotten their packages, but never asked them any medical questions. They got enough evidence to get an indictment, and picked up Stephenson Thursday morning. "Drugs is a very large for profit game and that game and that game is played by a number of people and too often it's just associated with the inner city," said Chief Steven Heider of Colonie Police. "Too often it's not given attention to people who deal in this type of drug which causes just as much problem to the American family." More charges are pending against Stephenson, and the people who may have bought drugs from him. Stephenson was a resident at Albany Medical Center for a couple of months in late 1992, but did not finish up, the hospital says it has no record he ever worked there. Doc accused of peddling drugs on Web
James Franco
COLONIE - Authorities arrested an Oneida County doctor and charged him with four counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance for selling prescription drugs over the Internet from his home.
David W. Stephenson, 44, 6436 Emerald Circle, Rome, was arraigned in Albany County Court Friday and remanded to Albany County Jail without bail.
Authorities said Stephenson would purchase, among other drugs, methadone, anti-depressants, steroids, date rape and sexual enhancement drugs from legitimate pharmaceutical wholesalers and advertise them to people on two Web sites.
Pharmaceutical wholesalers are required by law to keep track of who purchases what, and while it is legal for doctors to purchase drugs, the high volume Stephenson purchased over four years made the Department of Health, which tracks drug sales, suspicious. Working with the Colonie Police Department, which has expertise in undercover computer stings, the DOH found Stephenson's two Web sites and set up four buys, said Police Chief Steven Heider. Agents purchased methadone, used to treat heroin addicts; ritalin, used to treat attention deficit disorder; hydrocodone, a pain killer; and nandralone, an anabolic steroid.
Heider said a wide variety of drugs were available, and at no time was a physical examination, interview or valid prescription issued which makes it the same as selling "heroin or crack cocaine." He said Stephenson used to sell the drugs for more than market value, but cheaper than they sell for on the street.
With customer satisfaction in mind, Stephenson actually called the undercover buyers to confirm they received the package, Heider said. On March 3, Colonie Police and the State Police raided Stephenson's home and found a cache of prescription drugs and a client list 300 pages long. "The fastest growing component of the illegal drug trade is the abuse of prescription drugs," said Albany County District Attorney David Soares. "We all need to recognize that in the age of the internet, the new street corner is on the information highway."
Heider said the next step is to determine the scope of the 4-year-old business, but he estimated Stephenson grossed between $400,000 and $600,000 a year.
"He did not have a practice and you can't call them patients. They are drug customers," said DOH Narcotic Enforcement Section Chief Michael G. Moffett.
Stephenson is a licensed physician, Heider said, who used to contract his services to emergency rooms around the country in two week increments.
Doctor busted for selling drugs online
Accused of dealing medication to people without prescriptions
By LINDSAY COHEN
A doctor licensed in five states, including New York, is accused of selling prescription drugs over the Internet. He has been arrested in a sting involving the Colonie police. Dr. David Stephenson, 44, of Rome, N.Y. allegedly set up two Web sites where he sold a plethora of prescription drugs, except he offered them without a prescription. Painkillers, Ritalin, anti-depressants and the date rape drug GHB were all available through the convenience of your own computer, according to police. "This is a stack of approximately 50 e-mail addresses per page, approximately 300 pages, of e-mail addresses that the good doctor corresponded with, Colonie Police Chief Steven Heider said at a news conference Friday. Authorities noticed three months ago Stephenson was getting more drugs than what's considered normal from pharmaceuticals. Police realized Stephenson had set up shop online, selling prescription drugs to customers without a prescription. "He didn't have a practice. He wasn't seeing patients. You couldn't even call these patients. You have to call them drug customers," explained Michael Moffett of the state Department of Health. Customers included undercover police from Colonie, who made several successful purchases and on Thursday moved in. Police raided Stephenson's home, seizing computers and paper records. They also found packages marked for as far away as Tokyo. The information superhighway opens the merchandising up on sites like eBay and Amazon.com. In this case it was Meds2go or DocStat were the two Web sites. Anybody who went on those Web sites had access to him, Heider said. Stephenson was arraigned Friday on four charges of criminal sale of a controlled substance. Customers who purchased drugs from him could also face charges. Stephenson's sites have been shut down. He is currently in the Albany County Jail without bail. |
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