Brian Petzke, 49, of Saugus, Massachusetts, copped to his role in a counterfeit steroid ring that flooded the North Shore and beyond with fake testosterone and trenbolone, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced yesterday. Petzke pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, the final defendant to do so in a case that exposed a sophisticated underground lab operation run through tanning beds and false IDs.
The scam ran from May 2015 until April 12, 2017, when federal agents shut it down. Petzke and five co-conspirators, including Tyler Bauman, a/k/a “musclehead 320,” manufactured steroid products using raw ingredients sourced overseas. They slapped on counterfeit ‘Onyx’ labels—ripping off the name of a defunct pharmaceutical brand now owned by Amgen Inc.—and passed off the bogus compounds as legitimate performance enhancers.
Customers across the country were duped into buying the knockoffs via email chains and social media platforms. Payments poured in through Western Union and MoneyGram, with the defendants using fake names and rotating pickup locations to dodge detection. The operation wasn’t just about muscle—it was about money. Some of the illicit proceeds were funneled through Wicked Tan LLC, a Beverly tanning salon the conspirators owned and operated solely to launder their drug profits.
U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled Petzke’s sentencing for May 8, 2018. He faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain from the scheme—whichever is greater. The charges carry federal teeth, with sentencing guided by the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutory weight.
Petzke is the last of the six defendants to plead guilty. Tyler Bauman entered his plea in August 2017 and is set for sentencing on March 15, 2018. Authorities say the coordinated takedown reflects growing federal scrutiny of underground steroid labs exploiting online platforms and clean-front businesses to push dangerous, unregulated drugs.
The case was brought by United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, with support from Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Harman Burkart and David J. D’Addio of the Cybercrime Unit are prosecuting. The feds aren’t buying the muscle—just the paperwork.
Related Federal Cases
- USPS Supervisor John A. Psehoyas Charged in Steroid Import Ring · Massachusetts
- 20+ Indicted in NH Heroin Trafficking Ring · Massachusetts
- Lopez, Santiago, Diaz Plead Guilty to Mass. Drug Ring · Massachusetts
- Manchester Man Zakee Stuart-Holt Gets 210 Months for Fentanyl, Heroin Ring · Massachusetts
- Gardiner Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Bath Salts, Heroin Ring · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug Trafficking