Dr Alexander Chan, who was a veterinarian for indicted former trainer Jason Servis, pleaded guilty on December 5 to a revised charge of his role in the conspiracy to drugged racehorses. along with mail and wire fraud.
Chan pleaded guilty to one count of misbranding and adulteration of drugs in interstate commerce. In addition, a $311,760 money sentence has been issued that will become part of his sentence at an unspecified date. The money judgment represents the value of the confiscated property for which Chan is jointly and severally liable with co-defendant Dr Kristian Rhein, who has already served a sentence in federal prison for the related offences.
Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil ordered the money judgment not be considered fully satisfactory until one of the following things happened: the money judgment against Rhein was fully accepted by Rhein, or Chan was pay $50,000 within 5 years of his sentencing date or release date. In the event that Chan’s decision is not satisfactory as described, the full amount of $311,760 will be due.
Chan, a New York-based veterinarian, was initially indicted in early 2020 for conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and administer adulterated or mislabeled performance-enhancing drugs for horses. race. He was among more than two dozen people charged with doping at the time. An alternative indictment filed on November 5 of the same year included those allegations along with conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud against the three defendants: Chan, trainer Jason Servis and Rhein, who like Chan is a licensed veterinarian.
Rhein pleaded guilty on August 3, 2021 to the charge of administering and distributing adulterated and mislabeled performance-enhancing drugs to Servis and concealing his activities from regulators. He was sentenced to 36 months in prison on January 5, 2022, and must pay a forfeiture of $1,021,800, restitution of $729,716, and a fine of $10,000. Rhein paid $671,800 for forfeiture on the day he was sentenced, leaving $350,000 in debt.
Both Chan and Rhein were convicted by Vyskocil in New York’s Southern District Court. Vyskocil is expected to preside over the trial of co-defendant Servis starting January 9. Servis is the only person named in the multiple related indictments who have not yet negotiated a settlement or gone to trial. . A court filing made last week shows settlement negotiations in his case are underway.
Entries made in the court’s online transcripts system have yet to show a sentencing date for Chan.
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York is Damian Williams. Assistant US Attorney Sarah Mortazavi handled this case along with many other related cases. Attorney Neil Peter Kelly, a federal public defender with impressive private practice experience, has represented Chan since he appeared in the case in June.
