The Problems With Dr. Juice

Another friend, Dr. Irving Cohen of Seattle, told the court that Levine's mission was "to enhance people's performance and reduce the problems in aging at fees and a level of accessibility previously only available to the most wealthy of us. Quite obviously, his desire to serve and provide availability led to some excess and poor choices, which led to his current situation." But Levine has no hidden bank accounts that Cohen knows of, "nor does he have a sumptuous lifestyle. He is quite literally on the verge of bankruptcy."

In February, Levine was sentenced to 22 months in prison by Judge Robart, along with three years of supervised release during which he'll also have to undergo drug testing and mental health counseling. Maybe a bit of good luck had returned: Under the sentencing standards, he could have gotten five years. "Dr. Levine appears to have demonstrated remorse for his conduct," assistant U.S. attorney Mark Parrent said in a sentencing memorandum, "and has been cooperative in resolving this case short of trial."

BRIAN TAYLOR

Botched abortions, Viagra prescriptions, fast-food extortion, and steroid trafficking: the illustrious career of Dr. Howard Levine.

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More About

• Howard Levine
• Fred Bard
• Jan Phillip Olson
• Criminal Sentencing and Punishment
• Illegal Drugs

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Today, Levine is back where he was a decade ago: looking at the world through the bars of the federal pen down in Sheridan, trying to figure out how to start over. "I talked to him the other day. He was depressed, but he can at least see some daylight," says Bard, who thinks Levine's prison term is a waste of tax money. "In any serious gym in the country, half the people in it are doing steroids to some degree. Howard thought they were going to get it anyway, and it was better to get it from a trained doctor."

Of course, he was breaking the law, Bard agrees. But, he adds, "I think they should be thanking him. He educated people about steroid use. He wasn't trying to get rich, he's not a guy who ever tried to hurt anybody or screw anybody."

Will Dr. Levine ever practice medicine again? "Well, I can't imagine it," says Bard. "Can you?"

randerson@seattleweekly.com