Mar 2, 2007 1:37 pm US/Eastern
Another Florida Arrest Made In N.Y. Steroid Probe
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ―
A doctor with a suburban anti-aging clinic was arrested at her office, the latest medical professional apprehended in a New York steroid probe that set off multiple pharmacy raids and identified athletes as consumers.
Claire Denise Godfrey, 35, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon, documents show. At a court appearance Friday, Seminole County Judge Carmine Bravo set a week deadline for New York authorities to get her. Bravo said he would consider releasing Godfrey on bond if she was not transported by then.
Godfrey's arrest was at least the ninth in a New York persecutor's probe spanning several states into tens of millions of dollars in allegedly illegal drug sales. Albany County (N.Y.) District Attorney David Soares' office has said up to 24 people, including six doctors, could be arrested.
It was not clear exactly what Godfrey is accused of. Soares' probe involved sealed indictments, and his office did not immediately return telephone messages for comment. Arrest documents from the Seminole County Sheriff's Office did not specify what charges Godfrey faced, but said the warrant was for "dangerous drugs."
Godfrey's attorney, John Notari, did not return a telephone message left with a receptionist Friday.
Godfrey also was named in an indictment filed two weeks ago in a federal case charging the owner of a New Jersey pharmaceutical company with health care fraud, conspiracy and illegal drug distribution. The documents say Godfrey received a $2,350 payment in August from the pharmacy owner.
Godfrey obtained a medical license in 1999, state records show, and trained during residency in obstetrics and gynecology. The Web site for Godfrey's clinic says she specializes in "aesthetic and anti-aging medicine" and hormone therapy. The clinic also performs Botox injections and laser hair removal.
Four people were arrested Tuesday—three of them pharmacists—in a raid on two Orlando-area locations of Signature Pharmacy. Soares' office said the business repeatedly filled illegal prescriptions for consumers knowing they had never met with a doctor. Authorities seized documents, steroids and human growth hormone in the raids.
Godfrey had partnered with Signature in advertising, appearing with the company's head of research and development jogging and in posed photos.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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