South Amboy Couple Admits To Selling Illegal Bodybuilding Drugs

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ — A South Amboy husband and wife pleaded guilty in connection with a scheme to market and distribute more than $3 million worth of misbranded and unapproved new drugs, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced Wednesday.

Sylvia Kovaleski, 43, of South Amboy, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiring to distribute misbranded drugs and unapproved new drugs. Her husband, Keith Kovaleski, 57, pleaded guilty to the same charge on Monday of this week.

Federal prosecutors say the Kovaleskis owned and operated All-American Peptide (AAP). From 2014 to January 2019, AAP used its website to market and distribute substances primarily used by bodybuilders and others engaged in weight training to enhance performance and mitigate the side effects of performance-enhancing substances.

The Kovaleskis, though their company's website, sold prescription drugs such as tadalafil, the active ingredient in Cialis; SARMS, used by bodybuilders as an alternative to steroids; peptides, also used as performance-enhancing substances, and other drugs that had not been approved for human use. For example, they sold clenbuterol, a drug sold in foreign markets but not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Prosecutors say the Kovaleskis used their South Amboy basement as a manufacturing facility to make and label AAP products, including homemade capsules containing significantly higher dosages of tadalafil than the highest recommended dosage.

The Kovaleskis failed to provide adequate directions for use for their products, such as frequency of administration, dosage information, or warnings about side effects.

As part of their plea agreements, the Kovaleskis must forfeit over $3 million in criminal proceeds.

Sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for July 26.

They are facing up to five years in prison.

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