A Canadian sports doctor of Maltese descent, who treated megastar athletes including Tiger Woods, has escaped jail in a high profile trial for bringing unapproved and misbranded drugs – including human growth hormone – into the US.
Anthony Galea, 52, of Toronto, was sentenced to a year of supervised release by a federal court judge in New York last Friday.
“I want to apologise to the United States of America for violating its rules and regulations,” an emotional Dr Galea said during a brief statement in court, according to US media reports.
Dr Galea, who was not licensed to practise medicine in the US, travelled south of the border on more than 100 occasions between 2007 and 2009 to treat mainly National Football League and Major League Baseball players, including Alex Rodriguez, who in 2007 signed the richest contract in sporting history with New York Yankees.
Dr Galea is a vocal advocate of human growth hormone, which is banned by MLB, the NFL and other US professional sports leagues.
The investigation into his activities began in September 2009 when a cache of unapproved medical supplies and drugs, including human growth hormone, was found in the vehicle of his executive assistant as she was crossing the US -Canadian border at Buffalo.
Dr Galea was eventually indicted on five drug-related charges in October 2010, but the government agreed to drop four of the charges if he complied with a plea agreement and cooperated with prosecutors in other investigations.
His lawyer told New York Daily News Dr Galea had already met with federal investigators and did not expect any further meetings.
Dr Galea had acknowledged he transported unapproved and misbranded drugs into the US when he pleaded guilty last July.
The prosecutor had pushed for a jail term of 12 to 18 months, but Judge Richard Acara is quoted in the US media asking, “What justice is served by putting him in prison?”
Citing 123 letters of support submitted to the court by patients, coaches, doctors and family, Judge Arcara said a jail term would punish Dr Galea’s patients.