Richard Rodriguez, 9 Others Busted in $10M Steroid Empire

In a sweeping federal crackdown, Richard Rodriguez and nine others have been charged in a $10 million international steroid distribution ring, allegedly operating under the false banner of an FDA-compliant health business. A complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn details a criminal enterprise stretching from clandestine labs in Phoenix to raw steroid imports from China, all orchestrated through Miami-based Wellness Fitness Nutrition, LLC (“WFN”).

Rodriguez, WFN’s founder and CEO, marketed the company as a legitimate pharmacy licensed to distribute anabolic steroids—controlled substances under federal law. But investigators found WFN lacked DEA licensing and routinely shipped steroids without medical prescriptions. Customers across the U.S., including at least 50 in the Eastern District of New York, ordered potent anabolic compounds through www.wellnessfitnessnutrition.com, believing they were dealing with a legal operation.

The year-long probe, led by the DEA’s New Jersey Tactical Diversion Squad, revealed WFN imported raw steroid powder from China, shipped to a covert lab in Phoenix, Arizona, where defendants manufactured liquid and pill-form steroids. The finished products were sent back to Miami for packaging and distribution to domestic and international buyers. Undercover agents purchased over $30,000 in illicit steroids during the investigation, tracing a supply chain built on deception and illegality.

Financial records show the ring laundered more than $1 million in illicit proceeds back into its operations, funneling at least $10 million through WFN and related entities’ bank accounts. Authorities executed search warrants today at the Phoenix lab and WFN’s Miami offices and shipping facility, seizing evidence of large-scale, organized drug trafficking masked as wellness commerce.

“As alleged, the defendants made millions through the illicit online sales of anabolic steroids while hiding behind the façade of a health and wellness business,” said U.S. Attorney Robert L. Capers. “This case serves as a message: we will not allow the illegal distribution of steroids to go unchecked.” Capers credited cooperation from DEA divisions in Arizona and Miami, Homeland Security Investigations New Jersey, Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re selling heroin, cocaine, or steroids—if you break the law, we’ll stop you,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski. Seven defendants are set for arraignment in Miami, two in Phoenix, and one remains at large in Arizona. The charges are allegations; all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison.