Dewayne Barrett, Doping Scheme, New York 2024
Feds Charge Doping Scheme in Olympic Games
Manhattan, NY - In a shocking move, federal authorities have charged two individuals with operating a doping scheme in the 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo.
Dewayne Barrett and O'Neil Wright, both of whom are accused of providing performance-enhancing drugs to Olympic athletes, were taken into federal custody last week.
According to the indictment, Barrett and Wright allegedly obtained various performance-enhancing drugs and distributed them to athletes in advance of the 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo in the summer of 2021. In addition to the charge under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, Barrett and Wright are alleged to have conspired to violate the drug misbranding and adulteration laws of the U.S.
Barrett is separately charged for his involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain loans through the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
The Rodchenkov Act, signed into law in December 2020, prohibits any person, other than an athlete, to knowingly carry into effect, attempt to carry into effect, or conspire with any other person to carry into effect a scheme in commerce to influence by use of a prohibited substance or prohibited method any major international sports competition.
The charges in this Indictment arise from an investigation of a scheme to provide Olympic athletes with PEDs, including drugs widely banned throughout competitive sports such as human growth hormone, clenbuterol, and the 'blood building' drug erythropoietin, in advance of and for the purpose of corrupting the 2020 Olympic Games that convened in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.
Barrett was taken into federal custody last Thursday and presented in federal court in Manhattan before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang. Wright was taken into federal custody last Wednesday and was presented on Thursday in the Northern District of Georgia before U.S. Magistrate Judge Justin S. Anand.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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