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Six more guilty pleas in Louisiana's "Cajun Rage" steroids case.
The case is code named Cajun Rage-- alluding to the rage steroid users sometimes exhibit. And today six more young men ranging in age from twenty to twenty seven went before Federal Judge Patricia Minaldi this morning to admit they participated in illegal distribution of anabolic steroids in this area.
They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute anabolic steroids. They are Bryce Thomas Meaux, Terry Duane Kuykendall, Tyler Jordan Kuykendall, Ronald Lee Bert Fontenot, Troy Newton Broussard and Shane Patrick Hinton who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute anabolic steroids Tuesday morning.
Their guilty plea means they admit to being involved in what U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley says was a profitable, yet illegal business of selling anabolic steroids. "It was very profitable. Seized was $93,000 from the defendants but the proceeds hundreds of thousands of dollars."
Various members of the conspiracy imported steroids in raw powder form and converted it to an injectable form. Then it was bottled and sold to people in Louisiana and Texas, sometimes from a local health food store called Planet Nutrition. "Part of what they were doing there was actually distributing the vials of steroids," said Finley.
While one defense attorney has suggested the steroids caused no harm to anyone, Finley disagrees. "The long term and short term effects of steroids is documented from heart attacks to liver disease. Also, what's really important in this case is these drugs were imported from foreign countries, from China and Germany. What was in them isn't known, the harm that they could cause."
One of the issues that came up during the guilty pleas and will no doubt come up during sentencing is the government's characterization of different defendants as high, mid or low level distributors. Finley says it's important for the government to determine what role each defendant played. It's important to decipher who did what, who was a major player, who was a leader in this. The government calls Meaux a leader and organizer; Broussard high level; Terry Kuykendall and Hinton mid level and Tyler Kuykendall low level. Sentencing is on October 14th.
On Monday, five men plead guilty to similar charges on Monday morning. Jordan Blake Berza and Christopher Gass pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute the steroids and to money laundering. Blake Meche, Canien Lee Matte and Shayne Keith Weekly pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count.
The case is code named Cajun Rage-- alluding to the rage steroid users sometimes exhibit. And today six more young men ranging in age from twenty to twenty seven went before Federal Judge Patricia Minaldi this morning to admit they participated in illegal distribution of anabolic steroids in this area.
They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute anabolic steroids. They are Bryce Thomas Meaux, Terry Duane Kuykendall, Tyler Jordan Kuykendall, Ronald Lee Bert Fontenot, Troy Newton Broussard and Shane Patrick Hinton who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute anabolic steroids Tuesday morning.
Their guilty plea means they admit to being involved in what U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley says was a profitable, yet illegal business of selling anabolic steroids. "It was very profitable. Seized was $93,000 from the defendants but the proceeds hundreds of thousands of dollars."
Various members of the conspiracy imported steroids in raw powder form and converted it to an injectable form. Then it was bottled and sold to people in Louisiana and Texas, sometimes from a local health food store called Planet Nutrition. "Part of what they were doing there was actually distributing the vials of steroids," said Finley.
While one defense attorney has suggested the steroids caused no harm to anyone, Finley disagrees. "The long term and short term effects of steroids is documented from heart attacks to liver disease. Also, what's really important in this case is these drugs were imported from foreign countries, from China and Germany. What was in them isn't known, the harm that they could cause."
One of the issues that came up during the guilty pleas and will no doubt come up during sentencing is the government's characterization of different defendants as high, mid or low level distributors. Finley says it's important for the government to determine what role each defendant played. It's important to decipher who did what, who was a major player, who was a leader in this. The government calls Meaux a leader and organizer; Broussard high level; Terry Kuykendall and Hinton mid level and Tyler Kuykendall low level. Sentencing is on October 14th.
On Monday, five men plead guilty to similar charges on Monday morning. Jordan Blake Berza and Christopher Gass pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute the steroids and to money laundering. Blake Meche, Canien Lee Matte and Shayne Keith Weekly pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count.
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