Brothers plead guilty in steroid investigation

By Paul Leighton
Staff writer

March 29, 2008 06:00 am

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BEVERLY — Two brothers who grew up in Beverly have pleaded guilty to selling steroids as part of a nationwide distribution ring whose customers included New England Patriots player Rodney Harrison.

Glen and George Stephanos, who now live in Florida, both agreed to testify against the remaining defendants under the terms of their plea bargain, according to the Albany (N.Y.) County District Attorney's Office.

Glen Stephanos pleaded guilty in Albany County Court on Thursday to a felony charge of selling the steroid nandralone. He must forfeit $350,000 and faces five years' probation. George Stephanos pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of conspiracy to sell a controlled substance and will pay a $1,000 fine.

The Stephanos brothers are the 13th and 14th people to plead guilty in an investigation known as "Operation Which Doctor." Authorities in New York and Florida have charged 24 people, including four doctors, with selling human growth hormone, steroids and other illegal substances.

Glenn and George Stephanos run the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. According to its Web site, the center offers services such as Botox skin treatments, laser hair removal and hormone replacement therapy. Glenn Stephanos, 51, is co-owner of the center, and George, 59, is the marketing director.

Investigators raided the center in February 2007. In July, the Stephanos brothers were charged with 28 counts of selling steroids and human growth hormone. Authorities said they sold the substances by mail to customers around the country with illegal prescriptions from Signature Pharmacy in Florida.

One of their clients was Harrison, the strong safety for the Patriots who was suspended for the first four games of last season after admitting to investigators that he purchased human growth hormone through the Internet from the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center.

Glenn Stephanos graduated from Beverly High School in 1975 and was a captain on the basketball team. George Stephanos played for the undefeated 1964 Beverly High football team.

James Long, a lawyer representing the Stephanoses, refused to comment on the guilty pleas yesterday.

According to the Albany County District Attorney's Office, Glen Stephanos sold the steroid nandralone by Federal Express mail to a customer in Menands, N.Y., on Dec. 15, 2006.

George Stephanos and another defendant, Ryan Dumas, were caught mailing a controlled substance to an undercover investigator in Albany, N.Y., in December 2006, according to the district attorney's office.

"With these three guilty pleas, 14 people have taken responsibility for breaking the law, and we will continue to focus our efforts on prosecuting the remaining defendants," Albany County District Attorney David Soares said in a press release.