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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Athletes were involved as customers in an illicit steroid distribution network that led authorities to raid two Orlando pharmacies and arrest four company officials, a New York prosecutor said.
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Albany County (N.Y.) District Attorney P. David Soares refused to identify any steroid recipients, saying prosecutors were focused on producers and distributors.
Customers allegedly include Los Angeles Angels outfielder Gary Matthews Jr., according to the Times Union of Albany, which first disclosed the investigation, citing unidentified sources.
The paper said the names of Matthews, along with former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and former baseball star Jose Canseco were allegedly included on customer lists for Applied Pharmacy Services in Mobile, Ala. The two owners have been indicted by an Albany County grand jury.
Matthews, speaking to reporters at the Angels' spring training camp in Mesa, Ariz., said he wasn't "in a position to answer any specific questions."
"I do expect it to resolve itself here in the near future. ... Until we get more information, I just can't comment on it," he said Wednesday.
Canseco's attorney, Robert Saunooke, told the Associated Press he would be surprised if the former slugger had been a client.
"I would find it highly unlikely," Saunooke said. "All the steroids that he got were prescribed to him or were from people in the gym. There's never been anything he's gotten online."
Saunooke added that neither he nor Canseco had not been contacted by any investigators in the case.
"Just Senator Mitchell," he said, referring to baseball's ongoing investigation into steroids.
A message left with Holyfield was not immediately returned.
The Times Union said investigators found evidence that testosterone and other performance-enhancing drugs may have been fraudulently prescribed over the Internet to current and former major league baseball and NFL players, college athletes, high school coaches, a former Mr. Olympia champion and another top contender in the bodybuilding competition.
The paper said customers of Signature Pharmacy in Orlando included several former and current professional athletes. Among those allegedly linked to the company were former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jason Grimsley and a team doctor for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
