Dr Michael Posner sentenced, list of more to come

Yet another case among the federal indictments returned in 2020 charging illegal drug activity in horse racing, Dr. Michael Posner was given a relatively lenient sentence Sept. 29 of two years’ probation with two months of home confinement and a $10,000 fine.

The sentencing followed Posner’s plea of guilty June 29 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to a single count of drug adulteration and misbranding. Judge J. Paul Oetken imposed the sentence, which also included 100 hours of community service.

One of five related indictments naming over two dozen defendants returned by a grand jury in early 2020 charged Posner, a veterinarian, and three other defendants with crimes involving performance-enhancing drugs used in harness racing.

Posner admitted allegations that from at least 2014 to 2016 he distributed an illicit drug and allowed others to use his name and veterinary license to generate prescriptions for the drug to customers. By entering the plea, he avoided a jury trial.

Scott Robinson, named in the indictment with Posner, was sentenced in March 2021 to 18 months in prison. In September 2021 former veterinarian Scott Mangini was sentenced to 18 months after prosecutors built a case that he sold products to Robinson, who resold them. In March 2022 Carl Garofalo Sr. was given six months incarceration, the government acknowledging his lesser culpability.

Posner allowed Mangini to use Posner’s name and veterinary license to make it appear Posner was prescribing what was an illegal adulterated and misbranded oral paste.

Here is a list of the remaining people and their sentencing dates:

Lou Grasso (Harness racing veterinarian) October 27, 2022

Rene Allard (Harness racing trainer) October 27, 2022

Thomas Guido (Harness racing trainer) November 3, 2022

Michael Tannazzo (Thoroughbred trainer) November 21, 2022

Donato Poliseno (Harness racing trainer) December 6, 2022

Erica Garcia (Thoroughbred veterinarian) December 12, 2022

Awaiting trial

Jason Servis (Thoroughbred trainer)

Alexander Chan (Thoroughbred veterinarian)

by Steven Wolf, for Harnesslink, with files from Bloodhorse.com