ABINGDON, VA – A California supplement executive is facing decades behind bars after a federal jury found him guilty Friday of orchestrating a scheme to illegally manufacture and distribute dangerous anabolic steroids. Sitesh Bansi Patel, 33, of Irvine, California, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the FDA, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and three counts of mail fraud following a five-day trial in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.
The case, a tangled web of illicit supplement production, centers around SK Labs, a California-based company where Patel served as Vice President. Evidence presented at trial revealed Patel, a Pharm.D, used SK Labs to manufacture the prohormones H-Drol and M-Drol for Competitive Edge Labs, run by Steve Wood. These weren’t innocent “dietary supplements” as labeled; they were drugs, specifically anabolic steroids, actively under FDA scrutiny back in 2008 and 2009. When SK Labs ceased direct production due to the FDA heat, Patel didn’t stop. He merely shifted the operation underground.
Starting in December 2010, Patel brokered a deal between Wood and Guillermo “Willy” Ramos, of Oceanside, California, connecting them via email so Ramos could take over production. Patel became the central hub, receiving initial shipments of raw powders, labels, and cash payments at his home. He then transported these materials to a shopping mall parking lot for delivery to Ramos, who encapsulated, bottled, and labeled the illegal products. The finished steroids were then shipped to Wood in Danville, Virginia. Testimony revealed Wood paid Patel between $8,000 and $10,000 in cash, delivered inside supplement bottles, while Ramos contributed an additional $7,500.
The scheme unraveled in September 2011 with Wood’s arrest in Danville. But the supply chain went deeper. Wood sourced the raw powders from Xinli “Eric” Li, a Chinese national who previously pleaded guilty in Abingdon, forfeited $1.6 million, served five months in prison, and was deported. The products themselves were deceptively labeled. M-Drol contained methasterone, marketed under the chemical name 2a, 17a di methyl etiocholan 3-one, 17b-ol, while H-Drol held halovar, identified as 4-chloro-17a-methyl-androst-1,4-diene-3-17b-diol – both “designer steroids” intended to mimic the effects of controlled substances.
While Patel now faces a potential sentence of up to 85 years in prison, a fine of up to $1.25 million, and asset forfeiture, his co-conspirators have received lighter sentences. Ramos received two years’ probation, and Wood was previously sentenced to one year’s probation and ordered to forfeit $1.5 million, already paid, and a $10,000 fine. This case highlights the lengths to which some manufacturers will go to skirt regulations and profit from dangerous, illegal substances, and the FDA’s continued crackdown on the shadowy world of “designer drugs.”
Acting United States Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle announced the guilty verdict, vowing to continue pursuing those who endanger public health for financial gain. The investigation, a multi-agency effort, underscores the federal government’s commitment to dismantling these illicit operations and bringing those responsible to justice. The sentencing date for Patel has not yet been scheduled.
Related Federal Cases
- D.C. Man ‘Cruddy Murda’ Sentenced in Fentanyl Pill Conspiracy · Washington
- Pain Clinic COO Gets 36 Months for Fraud & Drug Conspiracy · South Carolina
- Oxycodone Trafficking Lands NJ Man 12 Years · Pennsylvania
- Post Office Scheme Lands Man 8 Years Behind Bars · District of Columbia
- Charleston Man Pleads Guilty in Methamphetamine Conspiracy · Virginia
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News