American rider will hope to avoid prison term due to cooperation
Former professional rider Joe Papp must wait a further four months before he learns what time he will serve for distributing doping products.
The 35 year old has been cooperating with the US Anti-Doping Agency and others, giving them information on the estimated 180 customers he helped provide EPO and/or Hgh to via the Eposino website. The information has already led to doping bans for several masters riders, and many more sanctions are expected in the months ahead.
Apart from his racing career, Papp is known for testifying at the Floyd Landis doping trial in 2007. Landis had claimed that testosterone is not used by professional cyclists; whilst Papp never claimed to have knowledge of Landis’ own case, he did attest that the substance is utilised to aid recovery in the sport.
He had previously tested positive himself for the same doping agent, incurring a two year ban due to the results of a urine sample taken during the 2006 Tour of Turkey. Papp admitted to taking banned products and later had all of his results from July 1st 2001 struck off.
Soon after his positive test, Papp began acting as an intermediary for Chinese suppliers of EPO. He appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge Gary L. Lancaster on February 17th of last year and pleaded guilty to distributing human growth hormone and EPO. He is estimated to have earned $80,000 from those transactions.
Now, according to ESPN, his sentencing has been set for May 20th. It was originally scheduled for June 2010, then moved to September and again to January 21st. ESPN states that he could face up to ten years in prison, but Papp will be hoping that his cooperation with USADA and others will lead to a lesser sentence.