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First Posted: 10/1/2014 WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Correctional officers, a pharmacist technician and a recently-released Dallas Cowboys guard were among the Luzerne County residents charged Wednesday in connection with two alleged anabolic steroid rings.
A state Attorney General&#8217;s Office investigation dubbed &#8220;Operation Gym Candy&#8221; led to the arrest of 13 suspects from five Northeast Pennsylvania counties who are alleged to have participated in the distribution of steroids and prescription drugs.
All suspects were released on varying amounts of bail, ranging from $1,000 to $50,000.
According to court papers, Brian Laubach, 36, of Berwick, and Richard Piccarreta, 49, of Plymouth, each ran respective anabolic steroid manufacturing and sales operations, working alongside others to distribute the Schedule III substances to customers locally and through the Internet.
Former partners in the clandestine business, Laubach and Piccarreta had a falling out over money in the last year, an affidavit says.
Beginning in June, Laubach admitted during interviews with investigators to establishing an online steroid business two years ago, documents say. He allegedly told agents he imported raw anabolic steroids, called &#8220;powder,&#8221; from China and manufactured the steroids at his 5th Avenue home in Berwick.
A search of Laubach&#8217;s residence performed in June turned up $444,965 stashed in a basement safe, tens of thousands of manufactured pills and vials containing manufactured anabolic steroids and what authorities believe to be all the necessary ingredients to operate &#8220;an entire clandestine steroid laboratory,&#8221; court papers say.
The recovered substances were sent to the State Police Crime Laboratory for analysis with results still pending, according to documents, but the materials are said to have been consistent with confirmed anabolic steroids acquired in earlier controlled purchases.
In order to avoid detection from law enforcement, Laubach allegedly told investigators, the powder would be shipped to different people, including Keith Kilgus, alleged to have been responsible for the &#8220;&#8216;mail order&#8217;&#8221; portion of the business.
While conducting surveillance on Laubach&#8217;s home, investigators observed Kilgus and Laubach loading boxes into Kilgus&#8217;s vehicle on multiple occasions, documents say.
Agents would then tail Kilgus as he mailed the packages from post offices in several northeast and central Pennsylvania counties to locations throughout the United States, according to court papers, listing fictitious business names and addresses as return addresses.
Documents say an inspector with the United States Postal Service seized at least two of the packages, the contents of which were consistent with previously recovered anabolic steroids.
Locally, Laubach allegedly told investigators he delivered steroids to Brian Clarke, of Hanover Township, several times in the last year, and at least once to John Koch, also of Hanover Township. Clarke told investigators he arranged for Koch to pick up the steroids when he was available in May 2014 due to the NFL Draft, court papers say.
Clarke, an offensive lineman while at Bloomsburg University, was signed to the Dallas Cowboys earlier this year, but waived in August, reportedly due to a groin injury.
He allegedly told investigators he would deliver the steroids to Koch and Kyle Goyne, of Ashley.
Investigators say they made three controlled purchases of anabolic steroids from Goyne, who later told them he had begun selling them in 2013 to, among others, Luzerne County correctional officer John Taffera. Throughout the investigation, court papers say, agents orchestrated a number of controlled purchases of oxycodone from Taffera.
Participants were paid using cash or prepaid cards, investigators said.
A second ring
While conducting surveillance on Kilgus, investigators also followed him to a Berwick apartment building, documents say, and asked him about his relationship to the address following his arrest. Kilgus allegedly told investigators that the residence also housed a laboratory for manufacture of anabolic steroids, which agents say they confirmed upon arrival at the apartment.
Richard Piccarreta, Laubach&#8217;s former business partner, manufactured the drugs and sold them along with Paul Dougal, the apartment&#8217;s lessee, in a business model very similar to Laubach&#8217;s, documents say. Kilgus once again handled the shipping operations, according to court papers.
Dougal allegedly told investigators he dealt steroids to, among others, Luzerne County correctional officer Peter Fischer and to Nicholas Baloga, a correctional officer from Lackawanna County, both of whom allegedly appeared for drug transactions wearing a prison guard&#8217;s identification.
Dougal also told investigators he had been purchasing 400 10mg Vicodin (hydrocodone) pills from Sheree Senausky, of Trucksville, on a weekly basis for five years, court papers say. Investigators say they arrested Senausky following three controlled purchases of said pills, including at least one $1,300-transaction for 400 tablets.
Senausky then admitted to selling hydrocodone to Dougal multiple times over several years, documents say. She allegedly told investigators she was a pharmacy technician, and had been stealing the drugs from her employer.
Cook&#8217;s Pharmacy website lists Senausky as a pharmacist technician, and says she&#8217;s worked for the Shavertown pharmacy for 10 and a half years. Senausky&#8217;s LinkedIn profile says she has worked for Cook&#8217;s Pharmacy since June 2001.
Dougal said he also sold the pills to some of his steroid-purchasing clients, court papers say.
A 14th suspect, Kristen Pietrzyk, a former employee of a Luzerne County district judge, was also arraigned on drug charges Wednesday, but is not associated with either drug ring, the attorney general&#8217;s office said.
Each of the suspects named in the case faces a number of charges.

Alleged drug rings busted