Paul Walsh, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) –
A onetime world-record Twin Cities weightlifter has been sentenced in federal court after being caught in a sting selling nearly 10,000 units of anabolic steroids.
Andrew J. Fiedler, 38, of Apple Valley, was sentenced to five years’ probation on Friday after admitting to conspiracy to distribute and possession of anabolic steroids. Fiedler’s sentence also includes 500 hours of community service, drug testing, a ban on drinking alcohol, substance-abuse classes and mental-health treatment.
In 2004, Fiedler set the world record in the bench press for a 275-pound competitor, lifting more than 800 pounds. That mark has since been broken.
Fiedler’s Facebook page says he ran a workout studio in Stillwater, counted the Apple Valley High School football team among his clients and was a Mr. Minnesota champion bodybuilder in 2005.
According to his agreement to plead guilty, authorities learned in 2008 that Fiedler was conspiring to obtain steroids, a popular yet illegal substance sought out by many weightlifters, bodybuilders and athletes to gain muscle mass and a competitive advantage.
Fiedler admitted to distributing 9,670 units of steroids during “orchestrated controlled purchases” set up by law enforcement, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Sentenced separately earlier this year on similar charges were three other Twin Cities men: Aaron W. Meier, 34, of Lino Lakes; Matthew C. Markwood, 39, of Elk River, and Jeffrey A. Warner, 47, of Eden Prairie.
Meier was sentenced to six months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids, and six months in prison for money laundering. Those sentences are concurrent.
Markwood was sentenced to two years’ probation for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids.
Warner was sentenced to three years’ probation for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids.
