A Tearful Servis Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

[Wandering Eyes]

NEW YORK, NY–Prominent Thoroughbred trainer Jason Servis was sentenced to four years in prison by federal judge Mary Kay Vyskocil in U.S. District Court in Manhattan Wednesday. Servis had earlier pled guilty to one felony count and one misdemeanor count related to the use of the banned substances Clenbuterol and SGF-1000.

Four years was the maximum sentence that Vyskocil could have levied against Servis for the guilty pleas on the two counts.

“You deliberately engaged in illegal conduct for years,” Vsykocil told Servis. “This was not a one-time offense or an aberration. Your doing so put the lives of the horses and the jockeys who rode them at risk. You caused staggering losses to multiple competitors, making more than 25 million in purses. You reaped huge financial rewards because of your criminal conduct.”

Vyskocil took a moment to praise the work done by Servis's attorney, Rita Glavin, who Vyskocil said helped to minimize Servis's ultimate sentence.

“Your counsel served you very well,” she said. “She got an outstanding plea deal for you. As a result, the maximum sentence you face is 48 months. I see no reason to go below it. In my judgement, more than 48 months might have been appropriate.”

Servis addressed the court briefly, breaking down in tears before he gave his statement. “No words can explain how remorseful and sorry I am over the decisions I've made and the people I've let  down, and the people I've hurt, mostly my wife and two sons,” he said. “I will rue this the rest of my life and am most truly sorry and I throw myself at the mercy of the court.”

Glavin tried to make the case that Servis's transgressions were not as serious as those committed by some other defendants who had come before Vyskocil over the course of the federal indictments that initially saw 27 people targeted in a widespread racing doping case, and who were sentenced to 36 months or less. “SGF and Clenbuterol, those substances are qualitatively different than what was going on with other trainers who came up in this case and got 36 months or less for conduct that was much more egregious,” Glavin said. She also said that the trainer had told her how much he regretted his association with trainer Jorge Navarro, also sentenced to prison over doping charges.

“In conversations with me, Mr. Servis said that this greatest regret in life was his association with Jorge Navarro,” said Glavin. “Navarro ended up in the barn next to him and that was how it happened.”

Servis must report for sentencing on November 1.

This story will be updated.

 

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