Timbaland, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Wyclef Jean and author Tyler Perry were among thousands named in an investigation of steroids trafficking in Albany, New York. According to a report by Brendan J. Lyons in the Albany Times Union [click HERE for the full article], the entertainers were part of a larger group of patients who were prescribed either human growth hormone or steroids through the offices of Long Island chiropractor Michael Diamond. Officials have stated they have no evidence proving Diamond, nor any of the stars violated any laws, and that the targets of the investigation are the doctors and clinics prescribing the drugs.
South Florida osteopath Gary Brandwein, who signed off on all the entertainers’ prescriptions, is believed to be the key suspect. According to USA Today, Brandwein’s company, MedXLife.com, was investigated in the summer of 2007, for selling steroids via the Internet. Authorities believe wrestler Chris Benoit obtained steroids from MedXLife.com prior to killing his wife and child before committing suicide. It is currently illegal for a physician to prescribe human growth hormone to a patient they have not examined, and only an estimated one in 10,000 people suffer from a rare condition that warrants the need for a prescription of human growth hormone.
The Times Union article states that it obtained medical records and information from cooperating witnesses that show 50 Cent, Blige, Timbaland, Jean, Perry and other famous entertainers “were shipped prescribed human growth hormone or steroids — sometimes under fictitious names — at hotels, production studios, private residences, an upscale Manhattan fitness club and through the Long Island office of Michael Diamond, a chiropractor affiliated with the celebrities.” While the article states that the prescriptions were shipped to the entertainers, it does not accuse any of them of using the drug.
The initial Times Union report ran on Sunday, Jan. 13, and Blige was the only one to respond. When contacted by the New York Times, a spokeswoman for Blige said, “Mary J. Blige has never taken any performance-enhancing illegal steroids.”
