After
Horse Drug Fraudster Lisa Gianelli Guilty
at SDNY Trial She Gets 42 Months in Prison
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Thread
BBC
- Decrypt
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Source
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Sept 8 -- In what was called a
racehorse doping take-down,
the US Attorney for the
Southern District of New York
on the morning of March 9,
2020 announced more than a
dozen arrests.
Inner City Press
went to cover the presentments
in the SDNY Magistrates Courts
and personally witnessed 11 of
them, all given bail packages
and released: " Defendants up
now, arrested 4-5 am in race
horse drug adulteration
conspiracy case: Alexander
Chan (Federal Defender),
Christopher Marino, Henry
Argueta, Kristian Rhein
(retained, R), Michael
Tannuzzo, Nicholas Surick (R),
Rebecca Linke and Ross Cohen
(R)."
On July 11, 2022,
"SETH FISHMAN, DVM, received a
sentence of 11 years in prison
for his role at the helm of an
approximately twenty-year
scheme to manufacture, market,
and sell to racehorse trainers
and others in the racehorse
industry “untestable”
performance enhancing drugs
for use in professional
horseracing."
On April 8,
2022 a trial was set for the
Seth Fishman co-defendant who
got a mistrial when her lawyer
came down with COVID: "in the
light of new COVID protocols
for the courthouse, the trial
of Lisa Giannelli is going
forward on April 27, 2022 in
Courtroom 18C of 500 Pearl
Street, New York."
Inner City
Press observed jury selection,
and on April 18 Giannelli's
lawyer cross examined the FBI
agent who took the vials of
drugs from her house in
Delaware. He manipulated the
vials in a plastic bag for the
projector. Judge Vyskocil
said, Don't break them. Later
the FBI Agent read from the
caution: only to be used with
a licensed vet.
On April 29 with
a non-prosecution agreement,
there was the testimony of
Courtney Adams, and her
communications with Seth
Fishman, including about a
non-dislosure agreement. She
left the business - why? I was
done with it, and working at
Nanny's Donut Shop.
On May 2, an FDA
witness pushed back on cross
examination on the idea that
it is up to the states to
decide what non-approved drugs
may be given, citing 12 CFR
530. The trial continues.
On May 3,
Adrienne Hall was on the stand
describing herself injecting
her horses, and getting a gift
bag of bleeder paste from Seth
Fishman in a parking lot.
On May 4, another
former staffer of Seth
Fishman, in charge of
tightening up his bill
collection, testified to
injecting drugs into horses,
cited one named Shady McCoy
and other, in sounded like,
Captain Serious, while
defining gelding for the
jurors: a castrated male.
On May 5 the
Assistant US Attorney's
closing argument reviewed the
testimony of Courtney Adams
and trainer Adrienne Hall,
while portraying the defendant
making cold calls to trainers
pushing drugs.
On May 6, guilty
verdict on Giannelli on one
count of drug adulteration and
misbranding, with intent to
defraud and mislead, in
connection with a nearly
twenty-year scheme to create
and distribute “untestable”
performance enhancing drugs
for use in professional
horseracing. She faces
up to five years in prison for
her conviction. Her sentencing
was set for September 8 at 11
am.
And it happened
at that day and time, and she
got 42 months: "LISA
GIANNELLI, received a sentence
of 42 months in prison today
for her role in an
approximately 20-year scheme
to sell and distribute to
racehorse trainers and others
in the racehorse industry
“untestable” performance
enhancing drugs (“PEDs”) for
use in professional
horseracing."
Back on July 7, a
guilty plea: "Minute Entry for
proceedings held before Judge
Mary Kay Vyskocil: Change of
Plea Hearing as to Michael
Tannuzzo held on 7/7/2022.
Defendant waived indictment
and plead guilty to a one
count superseding information.
Sentencing set for November
21st at 2pm." Watch this site.
Back on December
6, 2021 the US Attorney's
Office told Judge Mary Kay
Vyskocil that Seth Fishman is
still violation the law with
'bleeder" paste and energy
drinks. A hearing has been set
for December 20.
On August 2,
Federal Defenders filed for
defendant Alexander Chan a
motion to suppress Title III
wiretaps, writing that "When
the FBI filed wiretap
affidavits to intercept calls
from Jason Servis and Kristian
Rhein, they knowingly and
intentionally misrepresented
to the court that SGF-1000 and
Clenbuterol were PEDs. They
did so despite knowledge that
SGF-1000 had been tested by a
world reknown laboratory, the
Hong Kong Jockey Club Lab and
had been found not to be a
PED." Watch this site.
On July 30, it
emerged the lead defendant was
set to plead guilty, see
below.
On October 20,
Christopher Oakes pleaded
guilty. Inner City Press
covered it. Judge Vyskocil
asked if he trained and
drugged thoroughbred or
standard horses (standards),
and if it was at Yonkers (it
was). The AUSA described a
covert search of the barn
associated with the defendant.
Judge Vyskocil accepted the
plea and set sentencing for
February 17 at 10 am.
On September 29:
"ORDER as to Jordan Fishman.
Change of Plea Hearing for
Jordan Fishman is scheduled
for 10/6/2021 at 4:30pm before
Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil."
And Inner City
Press covered and live tweeted
it here
This
originally-19 defendant case
is US v. Navarro et al.,
20-cr-160 (Viskocil).
But what of
Amr Abdelaziz of Phoenix
Thoroughbreds, who used horses
to launder money from OneCoin
about which the SDNY
prosecutors were so concerned
until, like with the UN, they
weren't? Watch this site.
***
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