Anthony Galea legal team has hands full with investigations, dual cases in Canada and United States
BY Michael O'Keeffe and Christian Red
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITERS
Thursday, January 6th 2011, 4:00 AM
The change in calendar year has brought new developments in the dual legal cases of Anthony Galea, but the Toronto physician is probably not inclined to find any of them appealing.
Galea - whom U.S. federal authorities charged last fall with five felonies, including smuggling performance-enhancing drugs across the border to supply to professional athletes - is still being investigated by the Florida Department of Health's Unlicensed Activity office, a DOH spokeswoman confirmed. Meanwhile, Galea's attorney said no date has been determined for when Galea will enter a plea in U.S. federal court and also hinted that the Canadian investigation is still churning full steam.
"They've got quite a lot of things going on up there," Mark Mahoney, Galea's Buffalo attorney, told the Daily News Wednesday. "There's nothing scheduled (for the U.S. court appearance), and I wouldn't be able to give a guess as to what might be happening in the future."
The key witness for authorities on both sides of the border is Galea's former assistant Mary Anne Catalano, who was stopped near the Buffalo border in September of 2009. Border agents discovered PEDs and medical equipment in Catalano's car that she eventually admitted belonged to her then-boss.
Catalano pleaded guilty to making false statements to agents in Buffalo federal court last June. She was to be sentenced Jan. 19, but her attorney Rod Personius told The News Wednesday that he expects the sentencing to be adjourned again. Catalano has been cooperating with authorities in both countries.
Information related to Galea's trips to treat Tiger Woods with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy at the golfer's Orlando-area mansion was turned over to Florida's DOH in December of 2009, but the investigation remains open. If the DOH finds evidence of criminal wrongdoing, the matter would be turned over to law enforcement in that state.
Despite having neither a medical license to practice in the U.S. nor a work visa, Galea traveled to Woods' home in 2009 after Woods had surgery on his left knee.
Woods has spoken publicly about Galea's use of PRP treatment on him, and has denied ever using PEDs. While Woods has said he's cooperated with authorities in the Galea matter, it's still unclear if another Galea client, Yankee star Alex Rodriguez, ever ended up speaking with the feds.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2011/01/06/2011-01-06_anthony_galea_legal_team_has_hands_full_with_investigations_dual_cases_in_canada.html#ixzz1AHeTfUfJ
Calvin Barry is a Toronto-based criminal lawyer with over 16 years experience as a senior crown attorney at Calvin Barry Professional Corporation - Criminal Lawyers. Calvin Barry Lawyer Toronto has practiced in the area of Criminal Law and Regulatory Offenses since October of 2004, accruing over 30 years experience in criminal law.
