Gym members were victims of identity theft by the Mutagenic steroid source.
Joseph Stiver, a 22-year old college student who lived at home with his mom and dad, once operated Mutagenic. Mutagenic was the producer of Anabolic Nation products. It was once a top-ranked steroid source on Eroids until law enforcement officials shut it down.
Stiver pleaded guilty to anabolic steroid trafficking charges in Ohio State Court in and he was sentenced to one year imprisonment in 2014. But five years later, the feds are pursuing him on federal money laundering charges.
MoneyPak and GreenDot funds were transferred to stolen bank accounts.
Stiver (aka ‘Myo’ and ‘Muta’) and co-conspirator Justin (aka ‘Prizz’ and ‘Jprizzle’) Robbins laundered their ill-gotten steroid profits via the traditional pre-Bitcoin payment methods that were available back then. They used wire payment methods such as Western Union and MoneyGram and store-value card payment methods such as MoneyPak and Greendot.
However, Mutagenic Labs also took it a step further with a scheme that involved identity theft. Stiver acquired the full membership list of Global Health and Fitness gym in Howland Township.
Stiver sold steroids to members of Global Fitness. But he also befriended a gym employee named Randy McHale who has access to the gym’s client database containing names, birth dates, social security numbers and addresses.
Mutagenic Labs opened at least three bank accounts at Bancorp Bank using the personal information obtained from the Global Fitness client database. Bancorp Bank sent VISA debit cards for each of these accounts to mailing addresses provided by Stiver and Robbins. The victims were completely unaware that their identities had been stolen.
Stiver and Robbins transferred the money from MoneyPak and Greendot to the three new bank accounts. They used the debit cards to withdraw the funds at various automated teller machines (ATMs).
The Trumbull Ashtabula Group Law Enforcement Task Force (TAG) estimated that Mutagenic was a multi-million dollar operation prior to its dismantling by law enforcement. This was all created by 22-year old college student at Youngstown State University (YSU). Stiver was a straight-A student specializing in Respiratory Care at the YSU Department of Health Professions.
Stiver was given a lenient prison sentence of one-year for his steroid trafficking conviction by Ohio State Judge Ronald Rice. Judge Rice felt Stiver’s lack of a criminal record and educational accomplishments made him a low risk for re-offending.
Stiver and Robbins have both pleaded guilty to the money laundering charges. They are scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on November 15, 2019.