More than 3 years ago, a pharmacy in Florida that was allegedly involved in the illegal distribution and prescription of anabolic steroids across the country was raided by authorities with full media coverage. The pharmacy owners, pharmacist, and other employees were arrested signifying that the law will not spare people doing illegal business activities. The Signature Pharmacy which was the center of a nationwide investigation on the illegal distribution of anabolic steroids closed its operation because of the incident.

According to the prosecutors handling the case, the pharmacy was able to sell at least $10 million of controlled substances to customers in New York alone. The respondents were charged but after a few years, the situation changed. The accuser in this steroid case becomes the defendant because of a recent ruling of a federal judge in Florida.

The pharmacy owners were able to get a favorable decision from federal judge Gregory A. Presnell allowing them to pursue a lawsuit against the prosecutor who led the investigation against their company 3 years ago. The judge ruled that there were so many flaws in the case against the Signature Pharmacy owners which could include illegal arrests and mishandling of the steroid investigation. Albany District Attorney David Soares is now on hot seat because of this case.

In the NY Times report, Judge Presnell said that he failed to comprehend how the prosecutor pursued with the investigation where in fact there was no legal basis. He noted that the pharmacy had no offices in New York and those people charged had never set foot in the state. “New York simply appears to have been just one of the many states to which Signature shipped or filled prescriptions. In short, there is nothing in the record to suggest that Signature had any unique or particular nexus to the State of New York or Albany County. That the Albany D.A.’s office would participate in an investigation — and later attempt to prosecute a case — of this magnitude is baffling,” said the judge in his ruling.

Another major issue in the Signature Pharmacy case is the legality of the arrest warrants. The judge said that it was based on an original indictment and not on a second superseding indictment. District Prosecutor Soarez might also acted beyond his jurisdiction because the investigation was conducted in Florida. The arrest warrants were also questioned because it was issued in New York not in Florida. The judge also commented on the way the prosecutor and his top deputy aid used the media in ensuring that the arrest and raids conducted were fully covered.

A private lawyer of Soares told the media that they already made an appeal about the decision of Judge Presnell. On the other hand, Amy Tingley who represents the company owners, said that the decision strengthened their case against Prosecutor Soares. “We feel very satisfied that the federal judge recognized the improprieties of these prosecutors’ conduct and the damage it caused,” she said. As a result of this scandal, the business suffered too much loss and was forced to shut down in 2008.

The pharmacy connived with doctors who helped customers obtain prescriptions even without physical examinations or actual diagnosis. The internet was also used by the company to sell steroids to various clients including professional athletes from baseball and football. Most of the prescriptions were issued to clients who want to improve performance in sports.

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