@musclehead320 sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. The mother of his 2 youngest children sentenced to 1 year.
Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Massachusetts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Shrewsbury Couple Sentenced for Roles in Counterfeit Steroid Conspiracy
BOSTON – A Shrewsbury couple was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for their respective roles in a far-reaching, multi-million dollar conspiracy to distribute counterfeit steroids throughout the United States.
Tyler Bauman, a/k/a “musclehead320,” 32, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release. Kathryn Green, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. In August 2017, Bauman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute counterfeit testosterone, trenbolone, and other steroid compounds; conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit drugs; conspiracy to launder money; possession with intent to distribute controlled substances (steroids); and trafficking in counterfeit drugs. Green pleaded guilty that same month to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. In April 2017, Green and five others were charged for their roles in the conspiracy.
From approximately May 2015 until April 12, 2017, Bauman, Green and their co-conspirators manufactured steroid products made from raw materials that they purchased overseas and marketed as “Onyx” steroids using “Onyx” labels that were also ordered from overseas suppliers. Onyx, now owned by Amgen Inc., is a legitimate pharmaceutical company that does not manufacture steroids.
Bauman had a robust social media following on Instagram and other platforms under the moniker “musclehead320” and derivations of that name. Bauman used the “musclehead320” persona to promote Onyx by claiming to be an “Onyx Sponsored Athlete.” As “musclehead320,” he publicly denied any suggestion that he was directly involved with making or selling Onyx; however, at the same time, he was in fact marketing Onyx injectable steroids through other social media accounts, including Instagram accounts in the name of “onyx_roid” and “onyxpharma.” Through these accounts, Bauman provided customers with email addresses to place orders, received steroid orders, and then communicated with customers via these email addresses.
Bauman directed other members of the conspiracy to ship steroids to customers using the U.S. Postal Service. Customers paid for the steroids via money remitters, such as Western Union and MoneyGram. Bauman then directed other members of the conspiracy to pick up payments at multiple remitter locations using false identifications to attempt to avoid suspicion.
Bauman purchased both the oral steroids (tablets) and the raw materials to manufacture the injectable steroids from overseas suppliers. He also ordered the counterfeit Onyx labeling and packaging from overseas suppliers. The injectable steroids advertised and sold by the members of this conspiracy bore trademarks of Onyx Pharmaceuticals.
Further, Bauman laundered proceeds from the steroid sales through Wicked Tan LLC, a tanning salon located in Beverly, which he and a co-conspirator owned and operated specifically to launder the proceeds of the steroid operation.
Green’s principal roles in the conspiracy were to pay another member of the conspiracy to ship steroids and to collect payments from customers.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Raymond Moss, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Harman Burkart and David J. D’Addio of Lelling’s Cybercrime Unit prosecuted the cases.
Source:
Shrewsbury Couple Sentenced for Roles in Counterfeit Steroid Conspiracy