Anabolic steroids are a controlled substance (generally illegal) in the United States. If you sell/distribute/traffic steroids, you can be arrested. One Houston, Texas dealer of steroids got lucky—or so he thought. He didn’t get arrested for distributing steroids. Instead, he got charged with tax evasion.
Remember Al Capone? The Chicago mobster committed lots of murders. But in the end the government couldn’t prove he committed any of them. However, it could and did prove he didn’t pay income tax on his ill-gotten gains, and Al Capone spent the last few years of his life at Alcatraz and similar ClubFed vacation spots.
Vernon Albert Richardson III admitted importing and selling steroids from 2000 – 2003 in his plea agreement. Mr. Richardson forgot one thing that would have been useful: pay the income tax on your illegal income. Yes, illegal income is just as taxable as legal income.
When Mr. Richardson is sentence later this year, he’ll probably receive a little under two years at ClubFed (based on Federal Sentencing Guidelines)