Man Given Four Years for Illegal Online Pharmacy

A federal judge recently sentenced a man to four years in prison for his part in operating an illegal online pharmacy that distributed anabolic steroids to a number of high-profile individuals.

J. Michael Bennet, a pharmacist, was one of five people found guilty earlier this year of running the online pharmacy, called Applied Pharmacy Services (APS), according to Al.com.

“I stand before you a different man than the one who worked for APS in 2005, even than the one who stood before the magistrate (judge) in 2007,” Bennett told the judge. “I had no idea what I was doing was inappropriate.”

Prosecutors allege that the online pharmacy distributed dangerous steroids across the country.

“These are steroids for horses and cows, not for young people and humans,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Dobbins said, reports the news source.

Former NCAA Division II wrestling champion and current mixed-martial arts fighter, Shane Carwin, is alleged to have received steroids from APS.

Americans are protected from illegal online pharmacies when they purchase their prescription drugs from a licensed brick-and-mortar pharmacy or from online pharmacies that have been certified by the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites, or VIPPS, program