Eric Lira, Violating Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, New York 2023

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Defendant Sentenced to Prison for Violating Anti-Doping Act

ERIC LIRA, a 44-year-old man from El Paso, Texas, was sentenced to three months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield for his role in providing banned performance-enhancing drugs to Olympic athletes in advance of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 2021.

LIRA is the first defendant to be charged and convicted under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, which criminalizes the operation of doping schemes for the purpose of influencing international sports competitions. The charges in this case 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 and the “blood building” drug erythropoietin.

LIRA obtained unapproved versions of these and other prescription drugs from sources in Central and South America before bringing those drugs into the U.S. and distributing them to athletes competing for Nigeria and Switzerland. The two athletes tested positive for prohibited substances, and LIRA directly and indirectly advised that the athletes should blame the positive drug test on contaminated meat.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the FBI’s Integrity in Sports and Gaming Initiative. Williams also thanked the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for their support of this investigation. The case is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance & Money Laundering Unit.

LIRA was sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $16,410. Williams emphasized that violating the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act comes with serious consequences, saying, “Today’s sentence sends a clear message: violating the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act comes with serious consequences up to and including incarceration.”

The sentence sends a warning to those involved in doping schemes that they will face severe penalties. “Doping not only distorts fair play but also erodes the essence of sportsmanship, tarnishing the sanctity of international sporting events and betraying the trust of athletes and spectators alike,” Williams said. “It has no place in any community, and this Office is committed to rooting out efforts to compromise the integrity of sports and other affected events.”