Kevin Wayne Tanner officially lost his home, his savings and a car when he was sentenced February 9 for running an international steroids operation.
The 40 year old, who had no previous criminal record, was also sent to prison for two years and nine months.
Federal prosecutor Josh Bryson said Mr. Tanner's motivation was simply "to make money" when he imported steroids from China, processed them in his home and promoted them via internet message boards.
Mr. Bryson said the Bridgewater man had no idea who the end users were, particularly when he contracted to supply another steroids lab in Ontario.
Mr. Tanner pleaded guilty to eight charges last month, admitting he smuggled steroids into the country, evaded paying duties on them, and produced, possessed and sold steroids. He also admitted selling Viagra, Cialis and Nolva to counteract the side-effects of steroid use.
He pleaded guilty to two charges stemming from a proceeds of crime investigation which followed his January 2007 arrest in the steroids case, possession of proceeds of crime and money laundering. It was those charges which cost him his Elm Street home, a 2005 Pontiac Pursuit he bought for a former girlfriend and more than $60,000.
Mr. Tanner imported raw steroids and processed them in a lab set up in a spare bedroom, making 15 different injectable and oral steroids, and between 150 and 200 sales a year over the internet.
The Canadian Border Services Agency began intercepting incoming packages in 2005, eventually tracking them to Mr. Tanner and the various names he was using. He was arrested on January 22, 2007, after he received a shipment from China at his workplace.
In court last week, defence lawyer Alan Ferrier said his client had "lived an unremarkable and normal life" until he got caught up in the illegal steroids business. He'd graduated from Park View Education Centre and earned a business degree from Acadia University before working as a manager at various stores around the province.
He returned to Bridgewater about five years ago and developed an interest in bodybuilding. That led to his own steroid use, a hobby which went out of control until he found himself arrested.
Mr. Ferrier blamed "male vanity" for fuelling steroid use, saying women turn to plastic surgery, while men use steroids because they want "to look like Adonises walking into bars.
"We're in a society where it appears that the vanity of both male and female have been taken to extremes," he said. "This is the kind of world we live in, unfortunately."
Mr. Ferrier told Judge Anne Crawford there's little chance Mr. Tanner will ever reoffend. At this point, he's trying to avoid declaring bankruptcy since he still owes Revenue Canada at least $50,000. The agency is taxing him as if he was operating a legitimate business, including GST and HST.
In the end, Crown and defence offered a joint recommendation for the sentence Mr. Tanner received.
He's banned from having firearms for 10 years and he must submit a DNA sample to the national data bank.
He received two months' concurrent time for having more than 600 photos and two videos depicting child pornography. Investigators found the material while analyzing a computer seized as part of the steroids investigation.
Mr. Ferrier said the child pornography was from a "very short period " of curiosity and few of the images contained explicit sexual content.
Mr. Tanner must maintain a listing on the sex offender registry for 10 years in connection with the child porn charge.
In passing sentence, Judge Crawford said she felt the joint recommendation was appropriate given Mr. Tanner's co-operation with investigators and lack of criminal record.
"I don't envy you your position before the court today and what you're facing. For a young man who had such a brilliant future ahead of him to have destroyed it in this way for what I can only say was short-term gain is a very sad thing for this court to behold," she said.
"You have a lot of talents and I believe you can rise again from this and become a responsible member of society."