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Michael Peters, one of four co-conspirators arrested for operating the underground steroid laboratory known as “Power Trip”, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute anabolic steroids and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Peters faces up to a maximum of 30 years in prison but is likely to serve only a small fraction of that time thanks to his plea agreement.
The Power Trip UGL was an internet-based domestic steroid source that maintained an ecommerce website at power-pharma.us. It had been operating for at least four years. Power Trip was ranked very highly in the Eroids source ratings at the pinnacle of its success and popularity.
Peters was not the mastermind behind the Power Trip enterprise. Instead, he started off as merely the collector of customer funds sent via Western Union and MoneyGram. He quickly advanced in the organization and became increasingly involved in the purchasing of raw steroid powders and/or other supplies, steroid manufacturing, online customer service and product shipment to customers.
Federal prosecutors with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri Western Division estimated that Power Trip sold $2.25 million dollars in finished anabolic steroid products during its four years in operation. It is seeking a forfeiture of that amount from the four indicted co-conspirators.
The $2.25 million figure is based on evidence seized during Peters arrest in North Carolina on December 23, 2014. The early Christmas bust targeted a residence that served as the clandestine underground lab where Power Trip produced its supply.
Peters had move the UGL from Missouri to North Carolina in the summer of 2013 in an effort to avoid detection by law enforcement. The plan didn't work and Peters was busted with a lot of evidence including a “steroid recipe notebook” in his possession. This notebook was used to calculate a conservative estimate of the proceeds of the crime.
The basis of the $2.25 million calculation was described in a press release on the Department of Justice website. Prosecutors concluded that Power Trip sold at least 90,000 10-milliliter vials of methasterone, stanozolol, testosterone enanthate, testosterone propionate, nandrolone decanoate, trenbolone acetate, Halotestin and possibly other steroids at an average price of $25 per vial:
“Utilizing the least expensive raw ingredients for the manufactured finished product (Testosterone Propionate), and utilizing the known dollar amount of raw ingredients purchased by Peters and other conspirators (approximately $200,000, less shipping costs), would yield nearly 1 million grams of raw materials that could manufacture approximately 90,000 vials (approximately 900,000 dosage units based upon a 10 – 100mg dosage unit per vial). PowerTrip sold this product for $25 per vial, which results in a conservative estimate of gross proceeds of at least $2.25 million in sales.”
The Power Trip UGL defendants were originally charged with one count each of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute anabolic steroids, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit access device fraud; three counts of access device fraud; and three counts of aggravated identity theft.
The very serious charges of money laundering and device access fraud reveal the extent to which domestic UGLs go to anonymously accept payments from internet customers. The Power Trip team moved from accepting payments via Western Union and MoneyGram to accepting customer payments via “Green Dot MoneyPak”, “MyVanilla Reload Cards,” “ReloadIT”, “NetSpend ReloadT” and “Blackhawk Debit Cards”. But they took it one step further, the co-conspirators allegedly used stolen names, social security numbers and birth dates to open and use many of these accounts. The money laundering, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft are charges that are, in many cases, much more serious than the steroid conspiracy, manufacture and distribution charges.
The date of Peters' sentencing hearing has yet to be set.
The Power Trip UGL was an internet-based domestic steroid source that maintained an ecommerce website at power-pharma.us. It had been operating for at least four years. Power Trip was ranked very highly in the Eroids source ratings at the pinnacle of its success and popularity.
Peters was not the mastermind behind the Power Trip enterprise. Instead, he started off as merely the collector of customer funds sent via Western Union and MoneyGram. He quickly advanced in the organization and became increasingly involved in the purchasing of raw steroid powders and/or other supplies, steroid manufacturing, online customer service and product shipment to customers.
Federal prosecutors with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri Western Division estimated that Power Trip sold $2.25 million dollars in finished anabolic steroid products during its four years in operation. It is seeking a forfeiture of that amount from the four indicted co-conspirators.
The $2.25 million figure is based on evidence seized during Peters arrest in North Carolina on December 23, 2014. The early Christmas bust targeted a residence that served as the clandestine underground lab where Power Trip produced its supply.
Peters had move the UGL from Missouri to North Carolina in the summer of 2013 in an effort to avoid detection by law enforcement. The plan didn't work and Peters was busted with a lot of evidence including a “steroid recipe notebook” in his possession. This notebook was used to calculate a conservative estimate of the proceeds of the crime.
The basis of the $2.25 million calculation was described in a press release on the Department of Justice website. Prosecutors concluded that Power Trip sold at least 90,000 10-milliliter vials of methasterone, stanozolol, testosterone enanthate, testosterone propionate, nandrolone decanoate, trenbolone acetate, Halotestin and possibly other steroids at an average price of $25 per vial:
“Utilizing the least expensive raw ingredients for the manufactured finished product (Testosterone Propionate), and utilizing the known dollar amount of raw ingredients purchased by Peters and other conspirators (approximately $200,000, less shipping costs), would yield nearly 1 million grams of raw materials that could manufacture approximately 90,000 vials (approximately 900,000 dosage units based upon a 10 – 100mg dosage unit per vial). PowerTrip sold this product for $25 per vial, which results in a conservative estimate of gross proceeds of at least $2.25 million in sales.”
The Power Trip UGL defendants were originally charged with one count each of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute anabolic steroids, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit access device fraud; three counts of access device fraud; and three counts of aggravated identity theft.
The very serious charges of money laundering and device access fraud reveal the extent to which domestic UGLs go to anonymously accept payments from internet customers. The Power Trip team moved from accepting payments via Western Union and MoneyGram to accepting customer payments via “Green Dot MoneyPak”, “MyVanilla Reload Cards,” “ReloadIT”, “NetSpend ReloadT” and “Blackhawk Debit Cards”. But they took it one step further, the co-conspirators allegedly used stolen names, social security numbers and birth dates to open and use many of these accounts. The money laundering, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft are charges that are, in many cases, much more serious than the steroid conspiracy, manufacture and distribution charges.
The date of Peters' sentencing hearing has yet to be set.
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