A Lebanon County bodybuilder is facing up to 25 years in federal prison after admitting he sold unapproved and misbranded drugs through his dietary supplement shop in Lebanon.
But the jail sentence’s hefty ceiling doesn’t come from any drug-related charge, but rather for a conspiracy count of money laundering to which Skyler Garman, 27, pleaded guilty in March.
Garman sold more than $2.2 million in products through his Lebanon business, Body Science Supplements, from 2019 to 2021. The majority of his sales were unapproved and misbranded drugs, according to federal investigators.
Some of those drugs functioned as alternatives to steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, while others are “after-care” products that counteract undesirable side-effects that come with performance-enhancing drugs.
Garman pocketed around $180,000 in sales from 2019 to 2021, federal investigators determined.
It’s illegal under federal law to deliver a new drug that hasn’t been approved by the FDA across state lines, or deliver a drug that’s adulterated and misbranded, according to federal investigators. They said Garman did both at his business.
Garman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to mail fraud and conspiracy for money laundering March 17, two counts federal agents lodged against him in February. He agreed to pay back his profits in monthly installments of $750, according to documents filed in federal court.
According to federal investigators:
Garman opened Body Science Supplements March 30, 2019 to sell vitamins and other body supplements. In December that year, he began selling products supplied by Savior Research SERMs and the next April, launched several Savior Research SARMs products as well.
Garman and his business partner placed labels on the bottles of these products describing them as “dietary supplements.” But the two also labeled them “for research purposes only” and “not for human consumption.”
Those products included “A-Adex,” “Aroma,” “Boost,” “Lots of Libido,” “Nova,” “Restart” and “Shredded.”
SARMs, or selective androgen receptor modulators, are synthetic chemical alternatives to steroids. Meanwhile, SERMs, or selective estrogen receptor modulators, are used as “post-cycle” therapy to counteract unwanted side effects of performance enhancing drugs such as breast enlargement in men, fat deposits and erectile dysfunction.
Social media posts said Garman and his business partner were offering “FREE cycle advice with the purchase of any product,” which refers to advice on how to consume products in sequence with other performance-enhancing drugs and other SARMs.
Garman then used the Savior Research SERMs, LLC business checking account to send around $13,000 to his business partner. That checking account also sent $6,000 to Garman’s personal bank accounts, and more transfers were sent to the business partner’s girlfriend at around $4,000.
After customers paid money to Savior Research SARMs, LLC, that money becomes the proceeds of fraud, according to Lori Ulrich, a former federal public defender.
Sending fraudulent proceeds constitutes money laundering, Ulrich said.
Garman’s attorney declined to comment on the case pending its resolution.
