The Maryland residence of a United States Secret Service Agent was raided in July 2008 based on unverified allegations of steroid possession and distribution. The allegations were obtained during the course of the Oklahoma steroid investigation targeting competitive bodybuilders that started in December 2007.
At least fifteen members of the Maryland State Police SWAT team led by Matthew Newman entered the Agent’s house and held his family (including an infant child) at gunpoint during the raid. No anabolic steroids or illegal drugs of any kind were found. Analysis of the seized computer and bank records revealed no evidence of illegal activity. A urinalysis revealed no evidence of steroid use by the suspect. No charges were filed.
The Maryland raid is part of a larger steroid investigation spearheaded by R. Brian Surber, agent and attorney with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD). The Oklahoma-based investigation has led to the arrests of several IFBB and NPC bodybuilders and others in the Oklahoma competitive bodybuilding network. Surber has promised additional arrests including out-of-state arrests.
A disturbing trend has emerged in most of these cases. Brian Surber has shown an apparent bias towards using bodybuilder-type physiques as putative evidence of anabolic steroid use. While not a primary predictor of suspected steroid violations, Surber has reportedly used pictures of the muscular physiques as part of the probable cause to obtain search warrants in similar cases.
Physique appears to have been an issue in the Maryland case as well. OBNDD’s Brian Surber allegedly told the suspect’s employer (U.S. Secret Service) that since the Agent was big and muscular that he must use anabolic steroids. Surber even tried to convince the suspect’s wife that someone who workouts out and is that muscular and lean must use steroids.
Individual(s) familiar with the case have provided the following account of the steroid raid of the Maryland-based U.S. Secret Service Agent:
A Maryland home was raided by Maryland State Police SWAT ( Matthew Newman), United States Secret Service, and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (Brian Surber). The falsely accused, his wife and infant child were present as armed officers entered the home with guns blazing as neighbors watched in horror. The raid was conducted without any probable cause, corroborating facts or evidence to support such actions.
Someone told Brian Surber of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics that he believed that the falsely accused used and sold anabolic steroids. This statement, which was hearsay, led Mr. Surber to Washington D.C to the falsely accused’s employer (U.S Secret Service). Without verifying the validity of the allegations, Surber proceeded to spread false information to the employer claiming the falsely accused Secret Service Agent was a drug dealer and user. The Agent’s rights were violated by an illegal search of his residence (no steroid and/or drugs were found) and seizure of his computers. The agencies also failed to provide a copy of the warrant prior to entry / exiting his residence. Upon reviewing the warrant at the courthouse in Upper Marlboro, MD it was determined that the information in the search warrant was fabricated and the judge (Joseph Casula) never should have signed it without verifying the validity. The falsely accused Agent has requested a written explanation as to who is responsible for verifying allegations prior to executing these warrants / seizures, which could have resulted in inexcusable ramifications (accidental shootings, etc.).
The falsely accused Secret Service Agent’s children have yet to recover from the trauma from this incident, as well as the children in the neighborhood will no longer play with them after this raid. The Agent’s employer administered a urinalysis which came back negative for steroids. A search of his computers, and bank records was also conducted all with negative results. The Agent has been placed on paid administrative leave as The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics conduct their “investigation”. To date the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics has failed to admit its error.
All agencies are claiming that they raided the Agent’s home to gather his computer (presumably for evidence of anabolic steroid use/distribution). The Agent gave them consent to search the computer the previous day when they knowingly knew that it was in his possession. It doesn’t take 15 SWAT team members with red dots on the suspect’s family to gather a computer. The falsely accused Agent has since been working with Mayor Cheye Calvo on getting the SWAT Team Monitoring bill passed through Congress.
Brian Surber’s tactic of using pictures of muscular individuals as probable cause in search warrants in steroid cases is a dangerous precedent. Overzealous prosecutors may be eager to follow Surber’s recommendations. Obtaining photographs of muscular individuals from online bodybuilding galleries, bodybuilding/sports magazines, Facebook or MySpace and using them as part of probable cause to search the homes of individuals for anabolic steroids may occur with increasing regularity.
Surber may have a reasonable amount of success “guessing” who is using steroids based on their physical appearance. However, just because bodybuilders may be more likely than the general population to use anabolic steroids does not mean that all, or even most, individuals with muscular physiques use using steroids. Certainly, it does not justify violating the rights of law-abiding individuals who happen to be muscular by terrorizing their families and holding them hostage at gunpoint.
Photo: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
About the author
Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.
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