Skylar Garman, 27, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering tied to the sale of supplements prosecutors say were steroid alternatives.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Lebanon County body builder and business owner could serve up to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to selling unapproved and misbranded drugs through his nutritional supplement shop in Lebanon.
But the charges 27-year-old Skylar Garman pleaded guilty to in March are not related to the drug sales. Instead, he pleaded guilty to laundering the funds he earned from the illegal sales.
According to federal prosecutors, Garman sold more than $2 million worth of products through his former business, Body Science Supplements, which was located on the 900 block of Cumberland Street in the city.
The store, which opened in 2019, is now permanently closed.
Prosecutors claim the majority of the sales Garman conducted through the store between 2019 and 2021 were unapproved and misbranded drugs, some of which served as functional alternatives to steroids and other performance-enhancing substances.
Other products were considered “after-care” supplements that counteracted some of the side effects common to performance-enhancing drug use, prosecutors claim.
As part of his plea agreement, Garman agreed to forfeit $180,000, which prosecutors said represents proceeds he owned, benefited from or possessed as a result of the offenses.
Federal law states it is illegal to deliver a new drug that has not received FDA approval across state lines, nor is it permissible to deliver drugs that have been adulterated or misbranded. Prosecutors accused Garman of doing both at his store.
On March 17, court records state, Garman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He agreed to pay back the $180,000 in profits in monthly installments of $750, according to court documents.
According to prosecutors, Garman and his business partner described the illicit products they were selling as “dietary supplements.” The labels they placed on the products stated they were to be used “for research purposes only” and described them as “not for human consumption.”
The products, known as selective androgen receptor modulators — or SARMs — are described by prosecutors as synthetic alternatives to steroids.
Other products sold by Garman were known as selective estrogen receptor modulators, or SERMs, which were to be used as “post-cycle” therapy to counteract the side effects common to performance-enhancing drugs, such as enlarged breasts, fat deposits, and erectile disfunction.
Prosecutors claim Garman laundered the profits from drug sales through a checking account tied to Savior Research SERMS, LLC. They found evidence of payments to his business partner, his personal checking account, and a checking account belonging to his girlfriend.
