BOISE -- The former president and vice president of Bodybuilding.com, as well as an attorney for the company, pleaded guilty Tuesday morning in federal court for violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
The company was originally charged with five misdemeanor counts of introduction and delivery for introduction of misbranded drugs. DeLuca was charged with six counts of the same crime.
The plea agreements state that between March 2006 and September 2009, Bodybuilding.com sold multiple products misbranded as dietary supplements when they were drugs containing synthetic anabolic steroids or synthetic chemical "clones" of anabolic steroids.
As part of the plea, Bodybuilding.com agreed to pay a $7 million fine and Jeremy DeLuca agreed to pay a $600,000 fine, $100,000 per count.
The sentencing judge still needs to accept the terms of the plea. That will happen on Aug. 1. Also to be sentenced that day is his brother Ryan DeLuca. He was charged with five similar counts. His agreement outlines that he pay a fine of $500,000.
All parties will have a several year term of probation. The exact terms of the probation will be decided by the sentencing judge.
These cases appear to be the final three of six cases dealing with Bodybuilding.com. The other three cases involve companies that produced the products for Bodybuilding.com. They entered guilty pleas last year for felony charges.
