Ex-doctor pleads guilty in steroid probe

March 20, 2007

A former doctor pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection with a multistate investigation into the illegal sale of steroids.

Ana Santi, 68, pleaded guilty to a single felony count of criminal diversion of prescription medications as part of a plea agreement.

A 13-count count indictment handed up in January alleged that the Queens resident signed illegal prescriptions for drugs from "criminal associates" that included Oasis Longevity and Rejuvenation of Delray Beach, Fla. Prosecutors in Albany have linked Oasis to Signature Pharmacy of Orlando, Fla., which is at the center of an investigation into illegal sales of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs.

Santi also had been accused of signing prescriptions for customers without ever seeing them, signing prescriptions without a valid medical license and forging the name of a doctor suspended from practice.

Santi, who had previously been stripped of her license to practice medicine, was expected to be sentenced to two to six years in prison. She was charged in February by federal prosecutors in Providence, R.I., in a similar case.

The plea comes as prosecutors in Albany help lead a sprawling investigation into illegal steroid sales in which 20 defendants -- most from Florida and New York -- have pleaded not guilty. A number of professional athletes have reportedly shown up on client lists, though prosecutors say they are going after suppliers, not customers.