‘Reckless fraudster’ Jorge Navarro admits to global racehorse doping scheme
A prominent horse racing trainer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to involvement in what US prosecutors have called a global scheme to systematically drug horses and cheat the betting public.
Jorge Navarro admitted in federal court in Manhattan to involvement in a conspiracy to administer performanceenhancing drugs to horses, in order to win more prize money at racetracks.
“I was the organiser for a criminal activity that involved five or more participants. I coordinated the administration of non-FDA approved drugs that were misbranded or adulterated to horses under my care,” he said a statement to the court. “I abused a position of trust as I was a licensed horse trainer and the horses were in my custody at the time.”
He could be jailed for five years at his sentencing, which is scheduled for December. He has agreed to pay $25.9m in restitution, reflecting winnings tied to doping. Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil accepted Navarro’s guilty plea.
“As he admitted today, Navarro, a licensed trainer and the purported ‘winner’ of major races across the world, was in fact a reckless fraudster whose veneer of success relied on the systematic abuse of the animals under his control,” US attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement.
Jason Kreiss, Navarro’s lawyer, said in an email the trainer accepted responsibility for his actions.
At least 31 trainers, veterinarians, drug distributors and others have been charged since March 2020 over alleged doping affecting races in New York, Kentucky, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio and the United Arab Emirates. Seven defendants have pleaded guilty and one entered a deferred prosecution agreement, court records show.
Other defendants include Jason Servis, the trainer of Maximum Secu
rity, who appeared to win the 2019 Kentucky Derby before being disqualified for interference. That horse also won
the $20m Saudi Cup, the world’s richest horse race, before Servis was charged.
Servis is seeking to suppress a variety of wiretap evidence, including from Navarro‘s phone. Rita Glavin, a lawyer for Servis, declined to comment.
Navarro’s career winnings total $34.9m, led by $3m for the gelding X Y Jet, according to racing industry database provider Equibase.
Prosecutors said Navarro regularly drugged that horse, including with a substance he called “monkey,” in March 2019 before it won the Dubai Golden Shaheen, collecting $1.5m. X Y Jet died of an apparent heart attack in January 2020.