15, including football coach, charged in Morris steroid probe, By: Michael J. Feeney

March 13, 2007

Two Wayne residents, a Hanover High School football coach and a championship professional bodybuilder are among 15 people facing charges in a steroid dealing investigation, Morris County authorities said Monday.

The raid of several homes, converted into drug laboratories, revealed the distribution of anabolic steroids, gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), cocaine and pharmaceuticals including Cialis and Viagra, authorities said.

Wayne residents Regan Ludeke, 25, and John Scicutella, 28, were both arrested and charged with cocaine possession in connection with the drug ring, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said after a string of arrests on Friday and Saturday. Both were released on bail.

The Prosecutor's Office said searches were conducted at homes in East Hanover and a Kendall Park home of professional bodybuilder Jason Arntz. The raid found $10,000 of anabolic steroids and more than $7,000 in the home of the national bodybuilding champion, authorities said. He was charged with manufacturing steroids and was released Monday after posting $50,000 bail.

The East Hanover homes of Anthony Cuppari, 25, and Michael Dente, 24, also were searched, concluding a four-month investigation, the Prosecutor's Office said. Both were charged with several drug offenses, including possession, manufacturing and distributing the substances to local residents, authorities said.

Cuppari, who is a volunteer Hanover Park High School football coach and a personal trainer at a local gym, also was charged with distributing GHB to a 17-year-old high school student. Both were being held Monday evening at the Morris County Jail on $100,000 bail.

Varoujan Derbarghamian of Oradell also was arrested and charged with possession of steroids and marijuana, authorities said. His bail has been set at $10,000. It could not be immediately determined Monday evening if Derbarghamian was still in custody.