Written by:
Brendan J. Lyons
January 30, 2008
The operator of a Brooklyn pharmacy, whose business came under investigation as part of an Albany-based steroids probe, was found dead in his office late Monday of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, authorities said.
John Rossi, 56, a licensed pharmacist, had visited his newborn grandchild hours before his death, according to investigators briefed on the probe. An autopsy was being performed Tuesday, they added.
Rossi suffered gunshot wounds to his head and chest, police said, and left a note apologizing to his wife.
Last year, in a case spawned from an Albany-based investigation of steroids trafficking, a drug task force seized millions of dollars in human growth hormone and steroids from Rossi's business, Lowen's Pharmacy.
Rossi was not facing any criminal charges at the time of his death.
"The initial raid was an offshoot of our case, but the prosecution is being conducted by the Brooklyn district attorney's office," said Albany County Assistant District Attorney Christopher Baynes, the lead prosecutor in the Albany case.
During the Lowen's raid, state Health Department agents and New York Police Department detectives seized an estimated $6 million worth of human growth hormone, along with records showing the pharmacy may have processed another $30 million worth of the drug in the past year. The Chinese-made drugs apparently were being funneled to two so-called wellness clinics in South Florida that started doing business with Lowen's after a series of raids shut down several similar operations across Florida, officials have said.
The pharmacy's customer list for steroids prescriptions allegedly included numerous NYPD officers, according to published reports. The discovery has triggered an intensive internal affairs investigation that is ongoing.
The pharmacy is at the corner of Bayshore Drive and Third Avenue in Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn raid is connected to the criminal investigation of an Orlando company, Signature Compounding Pharmacy, which was raided 11 months ago. Five people who operated that clinic have been indicted on felony charges in Albany.
During an earlier inspection of Lowen's, state Health Department Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement agents said they found faxed orders for steroids and other products from so-called wellness clinics that formerly did business with Signature.
The Chinese-made drugs recovered at Lowen's appear to have been shipped into the country without federal authorization, investigators have said.
