Harness Trainer Who Sought to Use Dead Vet’s Credentials to Order Drugs Imprisoned 4 Months

Donato Poliseno of Delaware, who trained Standardbreds for over 50 years before opening a pharmaceutical company in 2012 that federal prosecutors said sold a “bevy of drugs” to other harness racing participants without legally mandated prescriptions, was sentenced on Wednesday to four months in prison.

A federal judge ordered that Poliseno, 72, must also pay a $2.26-million forfeiture as the result of a plea bargain that set aside felony charges related to conspiracy, drug alteration, and misbranding in exchange for pleading guilty to one count of a substantive violation of the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act.

In a sentencing submission, prosecutors wrote that “Poliseno so abused his position that he sought to use a deceased veterinarian's credentials to continue ordering prescription drugs.”

The filing from the feds continued: “Poliseno fraudulently used the veterinary licenses of complicit veterinarians to obtain and widely disseminate adulterated and misbranded drugs marketed to racehorse trainers, including drugs designed to have performance-enhancing effect….Poliseno distributed and offered for sale both bespoke drugs created by co-defendant Louis Grasso, and prescription drugs that could only be distributed pursuant to a valid prescription.”

The sentencing submission explained that for eight years Poliseno ran Equine Vet Supplies LLC, which served as “a conduit between bulk drug manufacturers and consumers, creating a pipeline for trainers to receive prescription drugs that would otherwise require issuance by a licensed veterinarian. In that manner, Poliseno armed trainers with the tools to abuse and misuse drugs at their discretion.”

The government had requested “a sentence to some term of imprisonment [that] is sufficient, but not greater than necessary.”

A separate sentencing submission filed by the defense asked for leniency in light of Poliseno's age, his history of poor cardiac health, and the fact that he and his severely ill wife are the sole caretakers of a 5-year-old grandson.

Poliseno's sentencing submission further stated that “he has loved horses since he was a young boy” and that his crime was the result of “a serious lapse in his better judgment.”

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Harness Trainer Allard Avoids Trial by Pleading Guilty

Harness trainer Rene Allard, who was third in North America in both wins and purse earnings in the year before he was arrested and indicted in the March 2020 international doping conspiracy investigation, on Thursday changed his plea to “guilty” on one felony count of misbranding and altering drugs.

Allard faces up to five years in prison when he gets sentenced Sept. 13.

As part of a June 2 plea agreement in United States District Court, Southern District of New York, Allard also agreed to pay a $628,553 money judgment, which represents the value of the forfeited drugs.

During its investigation of Allard prior to the nationwide sweep two years ago, the FBI intercepted a phone conversation in which two other alleged conspirators in the harness racing industry discussed the deaths of horses trained by Allard after they had been given illegal drugs. One reference caught on wiretap callously described the trainer's operation as the “Allard death camp.”

According to a Federal Bureau of Investigation deposition, a raid of Allard's barn later produced multiple empty syringes, the drug Glycopyrrolate, epinephrine and vials labeled “Thymosine Beta” and “for researching purposes only.”

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Harness Trainer, Alleged Navarro Co-Conspirator Oakes Pleads Guilty To PED Charges

Harness trainer Christopher Oakes pled guilty to one count of misbranding and drug adulteration with intent to defraud or deceive on Wednesday, when he appeared before federal judge Mary Kay Vyskocil via teleconference. According to the Thoroughbred Daily News, Oakes is the 10th of the original 27 indicted in March 2020 to plead guilty in a scheme to use performance-enhancing drugs in racehorses.

Oakes was allegedly overheard on wire taps speaking to Jorge Navarro (who was also indicted and pled guilty) about the distribution and use of performance-enhancing drugs to Thoroughbreds. Specifically, the TDN reported that Oakes and Navarro were overheard making plans to administer performance-enhancing substances to X Y Jet, who later died suddenly.

Navarro changed his plea from not guilty to guilty this summer, but has not yet been sentenced.

Oakes told Vyskocil on Wednesday: “I purchased medications from Dr. Seth Fishman and Dr. Gregor Skelton and his assistant Ross Cohen and administered the medications to the horses in my care to gain an unfair advantage.”

Oakes will be sentenced on Feb. 17, and faces up to three years in prison.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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