Charges dropped for Nick Surick co-defendant

In a document filed January 2, 2024, in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, the government announced they will not proceed with the prosecution of veterinarian Dr. Rebecca Linke.  Linke, 46, of Farmingdale, New Jersey, faced one count conspiracy to commit misbranding and drug adulteration in a case that saw harness racing trainer Nick Surick and thoroughbred trainer Jorge Navarro sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

“The dropping of these charges is definitely an emotional event for me.  The last few years have been such a roller coaster and so stressful, I’m so glad that chapter is done,” says Linke.

On February 26, 2020, a grand jury indicted Linke on the charge, and a superseding indictment was filed on November 5, 2020.

“It’s still surreal to me that I was arrested by the Southern District of New York.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that could happen.  I’m looking forward to getting my life back to normal, as much as I am able,” continued Linke.

Dr. Linke and the U.S. government entered a Deferred Prosecution Agreement on December 21, 2021, which would last for a period of two years.  According to the agreement, the defendant would have the charges dropped against her as long as she complied with her obligations under the agreement.

At Surick’s January 19, 2023 sentencing hearing he had this to say regarding Dr. Linke’s involvement in the federal doping case, “I have to apologize to some of the defendants in this case that were dragged in because of me.  Dr. Linke, you know, she was obviously brought into this case because of me.”

Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil sentenced Surick to 62 months in prison, two months longer than Navarro, who has been called Surick’s “doping mentor.”  Surick tried to cooperate with the government in return for a lighter sentence.  His best efforts failed when the government concluded that information he provided concerning Dr. Linke injecting a horse named Northern Virgin (Always A Virgin) with the hormone drug Erythropoietin (EPO) in December 2018, turned out to be false.

Dr. Linke was able to prove she did not inject the horse.

“It would not surprise me at all if more indictments were coming,” says Linke of the case.

As for Linke’s medical licenses, which were suspended as a result of her involvement in the case, “There is a shortage of veterinarians in the world right now, let alone in the area where I work.  I loved being able to work on Standardbred racehorses and I would be thrilled to go back to helping them stay healthy and perform to the best of their abilities.”

Dr. Linke has recently applied for a Groom’s License with the New Jersey Racing Commission.

by Jason Rogers, for Harnesslink