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Federal authorities charged a Florida man Tuesday with providing banned substances to an athlete in a case involving the 45-month doping ban handed to Olympic sprinter Marvin Bracy-Williams last year.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Orlando announced the indictment of Paul Askew of Jacksonville for violating the Rodchenkov Act, a law enacted in 2020 that allows U.S. authorities to prosecute doping crimes involving international events.
Prosecutors said Askew could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Askew did not immediately respond to messages left by The Associated Press at an email address and phone number listed in his name. The court records showed he was in the process of being assigned an attorney.
Bracy-Williams ran the 100 meters at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and won a silver medal at the world championships in 2022. But he mysteriously disappeared from sprinting in 2023 before agreeing to his ban last November after a case brought to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s attention by a whistleblower.
That led to the sprinter testing positive for a banned substance. The case continued with Bracy-Williams’ attempt to hinder the investigation and ended with him providing “substantial assistance” to authorities, who uncovered other cases, USADA said at that time.
The indictment alleges that between July 2023 and January 2024, Askew conspired with others to influence international sports competitions by providing performance-enhancing drugs to an athlete.
Events allegedly impacted included the 2024 Paris Olympics and Olympic trials, the 2024 world indoor championships, a 2023 Diamond League meet in China and the 2023 Prefontaine Classic in Oregon, the indictment said.
USADA released a statement saying it was grateful for cross-agency coordination that included the Justice Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Athletics Integrity Unit, which handles doping cases for World Athletics.
The law and “the ability to hold accountable those who conspire against the rules is more important than ever as the U.S. prepares to host a mega decade of sporting events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” the statement said.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
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