‘Welcome to the anabolic club!’: Trial opens for former Antioch officer accused of peddling steroids

OAKLAND Taking the stand against his friend and former colleague an ex-Antioch police officer on Monday described a multi-state framework of law enforcement officers including at least a half dozen in the East Bay who peddled illegal anabolic steroids shipped in from Florida The ex-officer Daniel Harris testified to purchasing the drugs then selling or distributing them to several Contra Costa sheriff s deputies and officers including ex-Antioch cop Devon Wenger who is accused of buying and conspiring to distribute the synthetic testosterone At the start of Wenger s trial on Monday Harris listed at least people who bought steroids from him including at least three with ties to the Contra Costa County Sheriff s Office and other past and present Antioch or Pittsburg police officers He announced that he d often sell his own personal stash or place orders for them with a seller out of Florida who then mailed packages to California The trial represents yet another legal fight for Wenger who remains the only one of East Contra Costa County law enforcement officers not to plead guilty or be convicted at trial in a broad range of crimes ranging from getting fake college degrees to boost their paychecks to terrorizing residents for sport using police dogs and foam-bullet launchers His greater part current trial on federal charges of conspiracy and civil rights abuses last month ended in a mistrial after his former attorney tearfully recounted a judge she needed more help from her law firm to adequately represent him His co-defendant in that event ex-Antioch K Officer Morteza Amiri was convicted of multiple felonies while Wenger s trial was pushed to July On Monday prosecutors painted Wenger as an enthusiastic newcomer to the world of anabolic steroids going so far as allegedly connecting a friend to his dealer just days after his first injection This was not a event about someone who just bought steroids for his own use Assistant U S Attorney Eric Chen announced In a black suit and grey tie Wenger often shook his head and sat with a set jaw while prosecutors laid out their declares Meanwhile his attorney questioned the leadership s motives There is no evidence that Mr Wenger was in possession of steroids announced the attorney Dena Young There is no evidence that he distributed steroids to anyone else At the center of the matter is Harris a former Antioch officer who was indicted alongside Wenger in August but agreed to testify against him after pleading guilty to three counts of illegal steroid possession and distribution and another charge of bank fraud A former Contra Costa County sheriff s deputy Harris joined the Antioch Police Department in and briskly struck a friendship with Wenger that extended to the point of Wenger buying Harris house in Discovery Bay after a divorce Federal prosecutors say Wenger came to Harris again in as he was training to become a Green Beret in the Army s Special Forces In text messages aired in court Monday Wenger approached Harris about particular test or increase s in my life allegedly referring to testosterone and human improvement hormone I m tired of being lean bro Wenger allegedly wrote I just want to be a f animal Well you are an animal Harris texted back We can just make you a bigger more vascular animal Lol Prosecutors say Wenger met up with Harris the following month in February and sent him a Venmo payment for Wenger wrote in the app that the money was for Nutrition venture workout venture GET HUGE BRO Within days Wenger texted Harris to analysis that he was stoked about the results adding he felt f juicy bro His only regret according to the texts was not asking for the chemicals sooner Welcome to the anabolic club Harris replied before adding a word of caution suggesting that I d keep it hush you are taking anything to people at the police department lest Wenger end up blacklisted That same month prosecutors say Wenger connected another man a fellow Green Beret hopeful who was enlisted in the California National Guard but living in Oregon with Harris also to buy anabolic steroids Prosecutors say the subsequent package of steroids meant for that national guardsman was intercepted by U S postal inspectors on its way from Florida to California Wenger s attorney flatly noted she didn t dispute that an Antioch officer conspired to buy anabolic steroids But that s not Mr Wenger Young declared That s Daniel Harris She described Harris as a man who was at the center of a vast steroid ring stretching to Utah But Young reported Harris advised none of that to Wenger Mr Harris didn t put himself out there as a drug dealer he was a bodybuilder He sold himself as a nutritional counselor and a coach Young mentioned The attorney followed a familiar playbook in prior trials of Antioch officers questioning the motives of Harris cooperation with prosecutors referencing the plea deal that Harris took which required him to testify against his friend His fate is in the hands of the ruling body Young revealed of Harris He s been interviewed multiple times by the authorities and his story keeps changing Harris noted he first turned to anabolic steroids as a means to help recover after a car crash But he continued using and significantly upped his dosages when he decided to become a bodybuilder and enter tournaments across the nation Harris stated he now regrets illegally buying and using steroids every day As a side effect of his years of illegal steroid use Harris body only produces a fraction of the amount of testosterone necessary for a man his age And on Monday he spoke unflinchingly about why he chose to take the stand against Wenger I have two children and and just trying to show them that we re people we make mistakes commented Harris adding that it was crucial for people to take account for their actions In the end you inevitably got to do the right thing