Via TD Thornton
Former harness coach Richard Allen “Rick” Dane Jr., was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on September 9. He previously pleaded guilty to one count related to national doping conspiracy. Horse racing in 2020 has committed two crimes. dozens of related convictions or guilty pleas.
Dane, 41, has also been ordered to pay a monetary judgment of $33,912. As part of the plea agreement, the second charge against Dane was dropped.
Dane must report to prison on January 9, 2023 – the same day that the last remaining senior defendant in the case, banned trainer Jason Servis, will begin his trial.
But regarding the plea bargaining that took place, federal prosecutors and Dane differed on how helpful his cooperation was to the government.
U.S. attorneys detailed in a court filing that after his arrest in March 2020, Dane made an initial attempt to cooperate with them by providing information related to his case. other defendants.
But in early 2022, the federal government wrote, “The government determined that the respondent was not entirely imminent, and therefore could not provide ‘substantial assistance.'”
On that basis, prosecutors did not renew the cooperation agreement with Dane, who later pleaded guilty on February 18.
According to government sentencing filings, Dane “participated in a conspiracy with Lisa Giannelli and, in other words, Seth Fishman and others at Equestology that he knew to be false and illegal.
“Not only did Defendant purchase performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and prescriptions from Giannelli that he was using to induce addiction to his horses, he also served as a trusted resource for Giannelli by providing information. background information about potential new customers can be considered ‘credible. . ‘
“One of the ways Dane’s accomplices evade detection is to check on buyers to make sure they’ll be discreet and not report Equestology to relevant drug and racing regulators, or take action. reckless and inviting Equestology drug surveillance,” the prosecutors wrote.
“Dane has facilitated these efforts by providing Giannelli with background information about such individuals. Defendant repeatedly purchased adulterated and mislabeled PEDs from Giannelli and others, all with the aim of damaging his racehorses and making hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings,” federal write.
The Government has recommended that “a sentence slightly lower than the 36-month sentence is appropriate for sentencing purposes when balancing all factors related to the defendant’s guilt, including his relatively limited role in facilitating Equestology’s operations compared to that of Seth Fishman and Lisa Giannelli, both of whom were more involved in the advertising and selling of Equestology’s drugs, and were involved in into their offense over a significantly longer period of time. “
Fishman was sentenced in July to 11 years in prison and an appeal is underway. The day before Dane’s sentencing, on September 8, the same federal judge sentenced Giannelli to three and a half years behind bars.
Dane’s own sentencing submission, written by his legal team, offered a different perspective, asking for a more lenient sentence “below guidance due to the unusual mitigating circumstances present in his life.” Mr. Dane.”
Dane’s attorneys wrote, “Since the age of 16, Mr. Dane has worked in a variety of jobs as a groom and horse trainer. He enjoys working with horses and is passionate about his profession. Mr. Dane always puts the horses before him and works hard to ensure that his horses are taken care of. “
