A 33-year old Connecticut State Correction Officer has pleaded guilty to selling anabolic steroids.
A 33-year old Connecticut State Correction Officer, Nick Aurora who had been assigned to Bridgeport high-security Correctional Center has pleaded guilty to the charge of a single count of possession with the intention of distributing a schedule III controlled substance (anabolic steroids). He made his plea in front of US District Court Judge, mister Victor Bolden on the 14th of March 2018. He admitted that he had bought steroids for personal use and to redistribute them to several of his coworkers at the DOC (Department of Correction).
An investigation has shown that Aurora had been purchasing anabolic steroids every fortnight from his source of supply, of which he personally used some while selling the rest for a profit to various coworkers. Many law enforcement officers who choose to use anabolic steroids as a way to increase their muscle mass and strength typically purchase and distribution among themselves. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Statewide narcotics task force West, and the Connecticut State Police had worked closely together throughout the investigation which resulted in Aurora being arrested. Aurora was finally busted after the police had performed a raid on another residence in December of 2017.
It is believed that the other premises that was searched, was, in fact, Aurora’s supplier of steroids. The search of the other home, which was court-authorized ended with the seizure of more than 25,000 oral anabolic steroids and roughly 530 vials anabolic steroids for injectable use. A further analysis of the mobile phone belonging to the supplier also further connected Aurora of trafficking steroids from September 2016 to December 2017. The investigating officers discovered various SMS that shows Aurora’s involvement with purchasing and selling anabolic steroids. Aurora was hired by the DOC in August 2013 and was placed on paid leave after being arrested, as stated by Mr A Banevicius.
His future within the Department of Corrections is still unknown and will depend on the final outcome of the DOC security divisions internal investigations. Throughout the time of the pending investigation, the outcome of the employment of those co-workers who were involved in purchasing the anabolic steroids from Aurora is still unknown, this is also true for the legalities surrounding said coworkers. It is not known if they will also face charges, this will be released as and when investigations have concluded. If found guilty, Aurora could be handed a sentence of up to 10 years in jail along with fines of up to $500,000, these are both the maximum sentence and fine that can be passed down to Aurora, and it is not yet known how severe his punishment is actually going to be. He has been released on bail after posting $50,000 as a bond until the time comes for him to appear in court for sentencing.
The date for sentencing is yet to be decided and has not currently been set, although it is believed that it will be in the not too distant future once investigations have concluded. One thing is for sure, and that is that the judge is most likely going to want to make an example of Aurora due to his position as a correctional officer. Given the fact that he works within law enforcement, it will want to be shown that this type of behaviour is not accepted by the state. Throughout the years, there have been various cases of police officers and correctional facility officers dealing illegal and controlled substances. This case will most likely serve as a warning to any other law enforcement officer involved in the sale and use of controlled substances.
Source: https://www.steroid.com/blog/Connecticut-State-Correction-Officer-Nick-Aurora-Pleads-Guilty-to-Selling-Anabolic-Steroids.php