Jason Servis, a 65-year-old thoroughbred racehorse trainer from Jupiter, Florida, was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in a years-long scheme to dope his horses with approved and unapproved drugs designed to improve their performance.
According to the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, Servis was one of over 30 defendants charged in four separate cases in March 2020, each arising from a multi-year investigation of the abuse of racehorses through the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The charges in the case, United States v. Navarro et al., 20 Cr. 160 (MKV), alleged that Servis obtained hundreds of bottles of the drug 'SGF-1000,' which was compounded and manufactured in unregistered facilities and contained growth factors that Servis believed to be undetectable through regular drug screens.
Virtually all the horses in Servis's barn received the drug, including the thoroughbred racehorse 'Maximum Security,' who crossed the finish line first at the 2019 Kentucky Derby. Servis also allowed the administration of the prescription drug 'Clenbuterol' with no valid prescription, which was part of a deliberate effort to conceal that conduct from racing regulators and avoid mandatory reporting requirements.
In addition to the prison term, Servis was sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to pay $311,760 in forfeiture, $163,932 in restitution, and a $30,000 fine.
The case was the result of an investigation by the FBI, and Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the federal agents involved.
Servis's crimes put the welfare of horses at risk for profit, and his sentencing sends a clear signal to those in the racehorse industry that no one is above the law, according to Williams.
Jason Servis, Racehorse Doping, New York 2023
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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