Paper: Entertainers named in NY steroid report
The Times Union of Albany cited unidentified law enforcement
officials in reporting Sunday that R&B music star Mary J. Blige,
rap musicians 50 Cent, Timbaland and Wyclef Jean, and award-winning
author and producer Tyler Perry may have received or used
performance-enhancing drugs.
Law enforcement officials have said evidence does not indicate
that the celebrities broke the law, but that investigators are
focusing on doctors, pharmacists and clinics that provide the
drugs.
Albany District Attorney P. David Soares launched the
investigation into steroid trafficking last year.
Soares is "not confirming, denying or discussing any of the
names" involved in the investigation, said spokeswoman Heather
Streeter Orth.
A spokeswoman for Blige denied the singer had taken illegal
steroids.
Ken Sunshine, a spokesman for Perry, declined to comment.
There was no response to calls Sunday and Monday seeking comment
from representatives of other entertainers.
While athletes use steroids and human growth hormone to get
bigger, faster and stronger, the drugs can also lure other people
with their supposed anti-aging qualities.
Soares' multistate investigation has focused on Signature
Pharmacy of Orlando, Fla. So far, 10 defendants have pleaded guilty
and news reports have linked some professional athletes to Soares'
probe.
Soares has said Signature was at the center of a web of
businesses and doctors that illegally wrote prescriptions for
steroids. Authorities raided the company almost a year ago and its
owners and operators are awaiting trial in Albany on related
charges.
Records shared with the Times Union and information from several
cooperating witnesses on Long Island allege the celebrities
received prescribed human growth hormone or steroids, the newspaper
said.
The newspaper said that Blige received the human growth hormone
Jentropin and Oxandrolone, an anabolic steroid, in orders sent to
her at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Her spokeswoman denounced the report. "Mary J. Blige has never
taken any performance enhancing illegal steroids," Karynne Tencer
told the Daily News.
Former Sen. George Mitchell released a report last month on
performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. That report said former
Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski provided steroids and human
growth hormone linked to several prominent players. Radomski
pleaded guilty last year to charges that he dealt steroids to
players for a decade.
Congressional hearings are to begin this month on the Mitchell
report.