A number of entertainers were named in connection with an Albany-based steroid investigation, but are not part of an ongoing criminal probe, according to a published report.
The Times Union of Albany cited unnamed sources in a story yesterday (Jan. 13) that Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Timbaland, Wyclef Jean and award-winning author and producer Tyler Perry may have received or used performance enhancing drugs.
Albany District Attorney P. David Soares launched an Albany-based investigation into steroid trafficking last year. Law enforcement officials have said evidence does not indicate that the celebrities broke the law. Officials are focusing on the doctors, pharmacists and clinics that provide the drugs.
A spokesman for Tyler Perry declined comment. Calls to representatives for the musicians were not immediately returned.
Soares has declined to comment on or confirm the identities of the stars mentioned in the report. His multistate investigation has focused on Signature Pharmacy of Orlando, Fla. So far 10 defendants have pleaded guilty and some professional athletes have been linked to the probe in news reports.
Soares has said Signature was at the center of a web of businesses and doctors that illegally wrote prescriptions for steroids. The investigation gained national attention almost a year ago when authorities raided Signature. The company’s owners and the pharmacy’s operators are awaiting trial in Albany on related charges.
Records shared with the Times Union and information from several cooperating witnesses on Long Island indicate the celebrities received prescribed human growth hormone or steroids. In some cases aliases were used for their delivery.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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