Trainer Who Doped Horses Avoids Prison In Cooperation Deal - Mr. Mark Smith, LL.M., Certified Legal Document Preparer (Call or Text: (800) 590-6698 or Email: cldp@mail.com)

A New York trainer who admitted drugging horses so that the outcomes of their races could be fixed avoided prison Wednesday after a Manhattan federal judge credited his extensive cooperation with prosecutors to include testifying at two trials. U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil directed defendant Ross Cohen, 52, of Middletown, to pay a $5,000 fine, to forfeit $40,000 and to contribute to more than $28 million of restitution in the feds' crackdown on corruption in horse racing. "You have likely offered the most significant cooperation of any defendant charged in this case," Judge Vyskocil said. "You seem to have changed and you seem to have broken the pattern of repeated drugging." Cohen, who had been a licensed racehorse trainer for 25 years working at Yonkers Raceway and other venues prior to his arrest, pled guilty in 2020 to a count of drug alteration and misbranding conspiracy. Prior to his arrest, Cohen had been fined for doping and suspended by at least one racing venue, the judge noted Wednesday. Under his cooperation deal with the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office, Cohen testified at trial against two co-defendants, veterinarian Seth Fishman and racetrack worker Lisa Giannelli-Voshell, both of whom were found guilty and sentenced to prison. More than 25 people were charged in the crackdown, including most famously thoroughbred trainer Jorge Navarro. Navarro, nicknamed the "Juice Man," pled guilty and in 2021 was sentenced to five years by Judge Vyskocil. In a tearful statement, Cohen, who now works in sales, told the court that he is still working to repair the harm his actions caused. "In simple terms, I was greedy and selfish," he said. "People lost money because they bet on races that I helped fix. Then I received money that I was not entitled to. I also could have harmed the horses I was partially charged with caring for. I did irreparable harm to the horse racing industry because there will be people who will never regain trust that the races aren't fixed." Cohen faced a five-year sentence, the maximum possible for the conspiracy count to which he pled guilty. Without getting into specifics, Judge Vyskocil also said that Cohen assisted prosecutors in matters beyond the cases that are before her. The government's sentencing memorandum detailing Cohen's cooperation is not public. Cohen's lawyer Aida Leisenring said after the sentencing that Cohen showed honest remorse. "Second chances were invented for people like Ross Cohen. We are grateful to court for recognizing that Mr. Cohen tackled many obstacles to right the wrongs he committed," she told Law360 via email. Cohen is represented by Bruce Barket and Aida Leisenring of Barket Marion Epstein & Kearon LLP. The government is represented by David Felton of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. The case is USA v. Navarro et al., case number 1:20-cr-00160, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.