A West Virginia man indicted as part of a far-flung steroid trafficking ring based out of Central Arkansas was sentenced on Wednesday to spend three years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Austin Randy Stone, 26, of Spurlock, W.V., pleaded guilty last August to one count of conspiracy to distribute Schedule III controlled substances. He was one of 14 people in Arkansas, California and West Virginia indicted by a federal grand jury in Little Rock of involvement in a conspiracy to distribute steroids that were shipped to Arkansas from both coasts, then processed, packaged and shipped out to buyers around the country.
On Wednesday, accompanied by family members from West Virginia and his attorney, Molly Sullivan with the Federal Public Defenders Office in Little Rock, Stone appeared before U.S. District Judge Brian Miller for sentencing. Under U.S. sentencing statutes, he was facing possible maximum penalties of 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
The conspiracy came to light in mid-2019 when the DEA Little Rock office received information that Joseph Petersen of North Little Rock was receiving and re-shipping anabolic steroids, which are classified as a Schedule III controlled substance, with a moderate to low potential for abuse and require a prescription to be legally obtained. In his plea agreement, Stone admitted to being Petersen’s main contact in West Virginia and to receiving steroid products from Petersen for online distribution through his business, Misriah Supplies.