Plea deal for 1 of 2 defendants in horse doping scandal includes $25 million restitution

Two defendants indicted in a massive racehorse doping scandal in New York have entered a $25 million guilty plea.

Two defendants indicted in a massive racehorse doping scandal in New York have have pled guilty. Thoroughbred trainer Jorge Navarro and the head of a New York veterinary clinic, Kristian Rhein, were among more than two dozen people charged in a widespread scheme that prosecutors have alleged endangered horses, cheated bettors at tracks across the country and upended thoroughbred racing. The scheme, which allegedly began in 2017, was designed to deceive regulators and horse racing officials regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs, prosecutors said, after the indictment was filed in the Southern District of New York in March 2020. The plot allegedly was orchestrated by veterinarian Louis Grasso, who "manufactured, purchased, sold, shipped, delivered, received and administered at least thousands of units of PEDs issues by pharmacies pursuant to invalid prescriptions provided by veterinarians participating in the scheme," according to court documents. At least one horse died as a result.