Report: Feds digging into A-Rod’s finances

April 8, 2010 by Benjamin Kabak 52 Comments

The Anthony Galea/A-Rod story just won’t go away. Although MLB officials were reportedly “very happy” with Alex Rodriguez‘s explanation of his relationship with Dr. Anthony Galea, federal officials are digging into the Yanks’ third baseman’s financial records, according to a report in The Times. Galea, a Canadian doctor who has treated some high-profile U.S. athletes, is under investigation for allegedly supplying HGH and other performance-enhancing drugs to American clients, and the doctor treated A-Rod during the slugger’s rehab from hip surgery last year.

The Times says that the feds still want to meet with A-Rod, and the ongoing delay in arranging a time to talk have led them to contact others in A-Rod’s circle. Reportedly, the feds have asked A-Rod’s assistants, in the words of Michael S. Schmidt, “to determine the number of times he met with Galea, where they met and how much money Galea was paid for his services.” Investigators have also reached Angel Presinal, the tainted trainer who has been on the fringe of a few PED scandals over the past few years. As the season kicks into gear, this is one cloud I’d rather not see hanging above A-Rod’s head.

Mike HC

A-Rod is a magnet for this shit. He should ask Pujols what his deal is and get in on that plan. Although once A-Rod gets involved, that would probably be blown up too. Just legalize this shit already.
- http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H
  
  Playing in St. Louis would be a good start.
  - Mike HC
    
    Great point.
http://pda.88000.org/wallpapers/48/Pikachu_Dressed_as_Hitler.jpg Do Not Feed The Trolls!

Leave Arod alone!
http://mystiqueandaura.com/ pete

Somebody should investigate how much money is being spent on this investigation in the middle of a recession.
- http://twitter.com/JoeRo23 The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
  
  I’m sorry to pick on this but I loathe this kind of response. Pick out literally any non-essential government function and people fall back on this ‘why would you do this while we’re in a recession’ trope. This isn’t some unnecessary witch-hunt against A-Rod, it’s an investigation centered on a physician suspected of distributing illegal substances (internationally, no less). This is a criminal investigation and the investigators are doing their jobs – that shouldn’t stop just because we’re in a recession.
  - http://mystiqueandaura.com/ pete
    
    no i agree i just find the focus on illegal substances to be incredibly irritating. I don’t get why the govt. gives a shit about what people elect to put into their own bodies, much less spend millions attempting to “crack down” on it. But you’re right, it really has nothing to do with the recession. It’s just lame in general that such a big deal is made over this kind of stuff. Just a personal opinion, though.
    - http://mystiqueandaura.com/ pete
      
      but you’re right it was a pretty dumb thing for me to say. What I should have said:
      
      who honestly gives a shit?
      - The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
        
        I hear you, I’m tired of it, too
    - Mike HC
      
      Creates job. Creates revenue. Is an integral part of the economy at this point.
      
      I happen to completely agree with your main principle though. Most drugs, if not all, should be legal.
      - http://mystiqueandaura.com/ pete
        
        but wouldn’t the regulation of legal pharmaceuticals create just as many jobs? And clearly, untaxable illegal substances don’t generate nearly as much revenue as the govt.-regulated 1000% markup pharmaceutical industry does. I still think it’s a “moral” issue that shouldn’t play a part in the legal process.
        
        Mike HC
        
        I think the government can make more money off the illegal drug trade. Do you really think all of these illegal drugs coming across our borders, and within our borders, are here without the governments knowledge and basically explicit allowance? I don’t. I think more money can be made in every way by keeping it illegal.
        
        http://mystiqueandaura.com/ pete
        
        well there’s basically no tangible evidence of that whatsoever (not that there would be), but it would make a considerable amount of sense, considering the prolonged efforts to maintain its illegality.
        
        king of fruitless hypotheticals
        
        legalize it, tax it, and then instead of hunting traffickers and users, the irs would be hunting black marketeers and tax cheats.
        
        i think its easier to hunt traffickers and drug dealers than black marketeers and tax cheats.
        
        plus, meth and coke are gateway drugs to more dangerous drugs…
  - http://captnsblog.wordpress.com/ Will
    
    Your response begs the question, why is any money being wasted on “non-essential government functions”? Like or not, the extent to which crimes are investigated is often based on resources. The Feds have purposely decided that these steroid investigations are worth considerable time and money. As a result, other crimes, whether more serious or not, are not being as thoroughly investigated. I personally do not see any societal interest in pursuing these cases so vigorously.
http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

All of this proves how cheap A-Rod is. Why doesn’t he just pay someone off?
- http://www.secondavenuesagas.com Benjamin Kabak
  
  Picturing A-Rod trying to pay someone off just made me laugh. He’d totally fail at it.
  - Mike HC
    
    Yea, I had the same image in my head.
    
    I don’t know if anybody watches “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” but it would probably go down similar to the attempts of Mac, Dennis and Charlie trying to bride somebody. (I highly recommend the show for people that are not easily offended.)
    
    But yea, that would definitely not end well at all.
    - Mike HC
      
      bribe, not bride, obviously
    - Poopy Pants
      
      Wildcard!
      - Mike HC
        
        hahaha. Actually my favorite episode.
    - http://twitter.com/JoeRo23 The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
      
      That’s politics, bitch.
  - http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H
    
    Straight out of the Peter Griffin school of negotiating.
    - Mike HC
      
      ha, another funny image to think about.
ADam

How Come Ortiz is not getting Hammered.. This is complete BS
- http://www.theyankeeu.com/ Nostra-Artist
  
  …. because he didn’t use Galea?
  - http://mystiqueandaura.com/ JMK the Overshare’s Mystique and Aura
    
    Stop it, you! All this (non-non) sense is ruining the fun we could have making fun of Big Papi!
    
    Don’t be that guy. No one likes that guy.
  - Mike Z
    
    Because Papi is still looking for the truth.
    - Zack
      
      Agent David Ortiz
http://www.theyankeeu.com/ Nostra-Artist

Knee-jerk reactions aside, it looks pretty obvious to me like what they heard from Alex and some of their other information simply doesn’t match. Maybe one of his trainers has flipped on him, or maybe some of the Galea records link Alex to more than just the legal treatments.

The Feds won’t bring a case unless they have 3X more than they need to convict. But their success rate on convictions is unreal. If he gets indicted, he’s fucked. Lying to Federal investigators alone will land you in jail, ask Martha Stewart. They love to make examples of high-profile types like that.
- The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
  
  They haven’t learned anything from A-Rod yet, right? I don’t think he has met with the federal investigators yet.
  - A.D.
    
    Exactly, they haven’t spoken to A-Rod about the matter at all, chances are cause of the delay in being able to speak with him, and because the people around A-Rod probably can’t give great answers, they’re digging through the financials to see if they can find anything odd. If nothing comes of it, they may never meet with A-Rod.
  - http://mystiqueandaura.com/ JMK the Overshare’s Mystique and Aura
    
    He met with them while hanging out with Ben Roethlis-whatever.
    
    /lame’d
  - http://www.theyankeeu.com/ Nostra-Artist
    
    I thought either he or his lawyers submitted a statement. Wasn’t it reported the other day that the Feds were “Very happy” with the info they got from him?
    - http://twitter.com/JoeRo23 The Honorable Congressman Mondesi
      
      I think it was reported (by A-Rod, mind you) that MLB officials were “very happy” with the information they got from him. I’m really not following this story very closely though, so I may have missed something.
- ROBTEN
  
  Knee-jerk reactions aside, it looks pretty obvious to me like what they heard from Alex and some of their other information simply doesn’t match. Maybe one of his trainers has flipped on him, or maybe some of the Galea records link Alex to more than just the legal treatments.
  
  This is probably the case. It could also be that they are trying to pressure Alex into meeting with them and so they are leaking this information to the press as an attempt to “blackmail” him into cooperating. It is likely that whether or not he’s involved with Galea, there’s probably something in his finances that could be at least publicly questionably if not illegal (ex. gambling) and so they leak this information to the press so that he stops any investigation whether or not he was ultimately involved with Galea. In other words, it’s a power move.
  
  However, and I say this as someone who doesn’t really care about PEDs except as an expression of the contradictions of the modern sports industry, there are worrying signs that ARod and Galea probably had more contact that ARod has let on to this point.
  - http://www.theyankeeu.com/ Nostra-Artist
    
    Right, and it’s a tricky situation for him. If he cooperates, you can guarantee the info he gives will leak out, despite any assurances of confidentiality. But if he doesn’t cooperate or lies, he could be in trouble himself.
Pete C.

I read this stuff and I wonder, is this guy just stupid, lazy, dishonest, combination of all three each to varying degrees or what. Someone with that kind of money has the ability to hire the best flacks in the world, if he does, I wonder what we don’t hear about.
Ballplayers being the kind of guys that like to have a lot of fun.
Imagine what Ruth would have done with Arod’s paycheck, Inflation or no.
- http://mystiqueandaura.com/ pete
  
  strange non-sequiturs aside, what, from this story, suggests to you that A-Rod is stupid, lazy, or dishonest?
  
  I can understand thinking the guy is dishonest based on the fact that he took steroids and didn’t come clean about it at his first opportunity (not that anybody would have, but whatevs. Technically, that is dishonest). And I guess I can see how it would seem that he’s stupid based on the fact that he, being somebody as talented as he is, ever took steroids in the first place, but when has he ever done anything, ever, that suggests to you that he’s lazy?
  - http://mystiqueandaura.com/ JMK the Overshare’s Mystique and Aura
    
    I can’t see the lazy thing. By most accounts, he doesn’t rest on his natural ability. The dude works. In fact, that’s part, if not the whole the reason he took steroids in the first place.
    
    I think it’s fair to say that he has some emotional/ego issues. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s stupid. Many bright people “suffer” from these plights. Lazy, I can’t see.
    
    Dishonest? Yeah, I could bite on that.
    - Pete C.
      
      When I said Lszy that doesn’t just mean he doesn’t work hard at baseball. How about he’s morally lazy because he doesn’t do the right thing, in his personal life, like pay his taxes, (I would assume that’s a possible part of this investigation) or he does the things he’s not supposed to do because it’s inconvenient, at that time. My appologies for the lack of a more cogent explanation.
      But Pete, not coming clean when asked about steroid use when asked is a lie. That’s not technically dishonest it is dishonest.
http://twitter.com/JoeRo23 The Honorable Congressman Mondesi

Just a minor nitpick, but when noting that MLB officials were reportedly “very happy” with their meeting with A-Rod, it should probably be noted that that description of the A-Rod/MLB meeting came from A-Rod himself.
ColHapablap

Am I the only one annoyed by always seeing these highly insinuating articles by Michael S. Schmidt in the Times? He’s been their guy behind all of the big PED stories, the most ridiculous of which tied Tiger Woods to Galea and led to a brief uproad of “OMG HE’S CHEATING TOO” before everyone realized that was a bit of a stretch. Now I’m not SAYING he’s over-indulging these stories to keep his job as the go-to steroids guy… but what if he is? (/GlennBeck)
SteveD

If meeting with A-Rod was urgent, they can subpoena him. Then he would have to testify or could be held in contempt of court.

If they really wanted to find out what Galea did, they would be questioning everyone who was treated by him and they haven’t.

Seems like the Feds are playing a game here.
- Hughesus Christo
  
  How do you know who the feds are talking to?
  
  /everyonesanexpert
  - SteveD
    
    Because some of the athletes have said so?
    
    Houston Street and Tiger Woods were both Galea patients, both said their agents were notified of the investigation, both said they haven’t been asked to speak with investigators.
janie

They should be contacting Kate Hudson next. She was in Canada with him several times, including during the All-Star Break where he spent the time off up there with her family,and God knows what else he was doing. His performance sure improved after that break,NO?
http://captnsblog.wordpress.com/ Will

Everyone is jumping on Arod, but after reading the article, it seems to me the Feds interest may really be in Galea’s finances. After all, money paid to Galea, if done in the United States, would be taxable as income, and the best way to track that is to compare what he was paid versus what he is reporting.
YankeeMatt

It is extremely tiresome hearing about A-Rod being involved with stupid decision making. I just don’t understand his deal. Is he so detached from reality, that he simply assumes he’ll get away with something illegal (or at the very least, questionable)? Or is he that foolish, that he simply doesn’t find these activities questionable.

I have no doubt that his drive for success is incredible. You don’t become a professional player without immense dedication. You certainly don’t become an elite professional player without sacrafice. But at some point, these fools need to sit down and ask themselves, “If I do ________, will I feel comfortable telling my teammates, friends, family, government, and media about my decision?” If the answer is no, perhaps some more thought on the matter might be a good idea.

As for Galea, he deserves to be prosecuted just like anyone else. Regardless of our thoughts on PED morality, the fact of the matter is it is illegal at this point and should be treated as such.
Memo

Galea deserves his day in court before being branded anything as well.
don

What a witch hunt.
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