Opinion ID: 799257
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Agreement to Unlawfully Distribute

Text: Although Mr. Bader primarily attempts to discredit the government's evidence regarding the two doctors who prescribed testosterone cypionate for unlawful uses through prescriptions filled by College Pharmacy, [14] this was merely one aspect of the abundant evidence that the government presented to demonstrate that Mr. Bader knowingly agreed with other College Pharmacy sales and advertising staff to illegally distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute testosterone cypionate. First, to prove that an agreement existed, the government presented testimony from one of Mr. Bader's coconspirators. Specifically, Mr. Ruth testified that he always got instruction from Thomas Bader regarding how he and fellow College Pharmacy employee, Kevin Henry, should prepare for and present information at the A4M anti-aging conferences at which College Pharmacy marketed testosterone cypionate, Aplee. App., Vol. II, Tr. at 298despite the fact that anti-aging is not a lawful, approved use for this drug. Sometimes Mr. Bader even attended these conferences himself and, when he did, Mr. Bader was the one running the show. Id., Vol. I, Tr. at 191. Mr. Ruth also explained that College Pharmacy had enjoyed a lucrative relationship with Peak Physique, a large anti-aging clinic that purchased large volumes of prescriptions from College Pharmacy, and that Mr. Bader had supervised the Peak Physique account. Additionally, the government introduced a series of College Pharmacy's advertisements promoting testosterone for anti-aging and body-building purposes. [15] Among these was a printout of College Pharmacy's web page, which depicted a bulging bicep and the word TESTOSTERONE in large, block print, accompanied, at the top of the page, by these words: Recent headlines question the benefits of testosterone for aging men . . . To learn more, click here. [16] Id., Vol. III, at 657 (Gov't Ex. 23) (some capitalization altered). Mr. Ruth testified that this advertisement was geared toward promoting [b]ig muscles, and that Mr. Bader himself had approved it. Id., Vol. II, Tr. at 318. Government Exhibit Thirteena College Pharmacy print advertisement encouraging consumers to [l]ive [l]ife to the [f]ullestalso billed [t]estosterone for [m]en & [w]omen as one of College Pharmacy's featured anti-aging products, and boasted that [a]nti-[a]ging clinics all over the United States [were] coming to College Pharmacy for solutions to their age[-]management questions. Id., Vol. III, at 645 (Gov't Ex. 13). Mr. Ruth explained that Tracy Crawford, College Pharmacy's managing director of sales, had affixed a post-it note to this advertisement asking Mr. Bader whether he would like to include it as an insert in the registration bags that College Pharmacy distributed to anti-aging trade show attendees. Indeed, Mr. Ruth confirmed that all of College Pharmacy marketing materials and major decisions were subject to Mr. Bader's approval. His testimony, combined with these College Pharmacy advertisements, provided more than sufficient evidence upon which a reasonable jury could have concluded that Mr. Bader entered into an agreement with Mr. Ruth and other members of the sales department to unlawfully distribute testosterone cypionatein other words, the government met its burden of proof concerning element one of Count Nineteen under Jury Instruction No. 34. See Aplt. Trial Tr. App., Vol. VIII, at 2178; see id. at 2168-69 (Jury Instruction No. 19) (In determining whether the [g]overnment has shown that Mr. Bader entered into an agreement or understanding with others, you are instructed that the [g]overnment need not show that the people involved had any formal or written agreement nor that they specifically discussed among themselves what the purpose or details of the agreement would be or the means by which it would be accomplished.).