VIRGINIA
A Georgia resident and his company plead guilty Tuesday to a felony charge for distributing anabolic steroids and steroid-like drugs in alleged dietary supplements.
According to court documents, James Chadwick Brooks, 41, of Norcross, and his company, CCB Nutrition LLC, pleaded guilty to introducing an unapproved new drug into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud and mislead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and consumers.
The government alleged that from 2016 to 2019, Brooks marketed supplements containing anabolic steroids such as androsterone, trestolone, epiandrosterone and methylstenbolone to the bodybuilding and fitness community.
Anabolic steroids are Schedule III substances under the Controlled Substances Act, and they may have dangerous effects on users, including increasing the risk of liver damage, coronary artery disease, strokes and heart attacks.
The government also alleged that the supplements distributed by Brooks included a product labeled as containing Arimistane, an aromatase inhibitor typically used with steroids to decrease estrogen production.
The FDA has long warned that aromatase inhibitors have been linked to significant health risks such as a decreased rate of bone maturation and growth, decreased sperm production, infertility, aggressive behavior, adrenal insufficiency, kidney failure and liver dysfunction.
In pleading guilty, Brooks admitted that he knowingly took steps to mislead and defraud the government and consumers, in part by using an unregistered contract manufacturer to import ingredients and produce the unlawful products.
“Marketing unapproved and potentially unsafe drugs as dietary supplements endangers consumers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue working with its law enforcement and agency partners to prosecute those who flout the law at the expense of public health.”
“When Brooks and his company marketed and sold steroids and other supplements within the fitness community, they undermined the FDA approval process and seriously risked the health and safety of consumers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar of the Western District of Virginia.
Brooks and CCB Nutrition LLC pleaded guilty before Judge James P. Jones in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.
Brooks is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 18, and faces up to three years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations is investigating the case.