Murray Rojas, Misbranding Prescription Drugs, Pennsylvania 2019

HARRISBURG — For over a decade, Murray Rojas didn’t just train horses — she rigged them. The 53-year-old Grantville, Pennsylvania, horse trainer was sentenced May 6, 2019, to 27 months in federal prison on each of 14 felony counts of misbranding prescription drugs on race day and conspiracy, with sentences running concurrently. Rojas’ operation wasn’t about honest competition — it was a calculated fraud that corrupted the integrity of Pennsylvania horse racing from 2002 to 2014.

Convicted by a federal jury on June 30, 2017, Rojas directed veterinarians to inject her horses with performance-altering prescription drugs on the very day they raced — a direct violation of track rules and state law. The scheme spanned 58 races at Penn National, where Rojas conspired with three veterinarians to administer banned substances, then cover their tracks. Invoices were backdated, treatment reports falsified, and the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission was fed lies to hide the doping.

But Rojas didn’t act alone. She was the ringleader in a sprawling corruption network. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has prosecuted multiple figures tied to the case. Danny Robertson, the official clocker, got one year probation and a $2,500 fine for wire fraud. Racing official Craig Lytel was hit with four months in prison and a $1,000 fine. Trainer and owner David Wells served three months for rigging contests. Patricia Rogers and Samuel Webb both received ARDs in Dauphin County for the same charge.

Several veterinarians remain in the crosshairs. Renée Nodine, Kevin Brophy, Fernando Motta, and Christopher Korte all face charges of misbranding and conspiracy — and are awaiting sentencing. Their roles were instrumental: dispensing drugs, falsifying records, and shielding Rojas from scrutiny. The deception was systemic, designed to exploit loopholes and evade oversight.

Judge Sylvia H. Rambo ordered Rojas to report to a Bureau of Prisons facility on June 3, 2019. She’ll also serve two years of supervised release and pay a $5,000 fine. Whether she remains free on bail during an appeal is still under court review — but the gavel has already fallen.

The investigation was a joint takedown by the FBI, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Horse Racing Commission, and the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney William A. Behe led the prosecution, dismantling a culture of cheating that turned race days into rigged spectacles. This wasn’t sport — it was fraud, plain and horse-doped.

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