MaryAnne Catalano, ex-assistant to Tiger Woods doc Tony Galea, to meet with feds next week
By Nathaniel Vinton
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Friday, January 8th 2010, 3:00 PM
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MaryAnne Catalano, a former assistant to the controversial Canadian sports medicine doctor Tony Galea, will meet with prosecutors and federal agents next week in Buffalo, her lawyer said Friday.
Catalano will likely be asked about her former boss, who treated Tiger Woods and other professional athletes and is now facing drug charges in Canada involving human growth hormone, which is banned in sports, and Actovegin, a derivative of calf’s blood.
On Sept. 14, Catalano was arrested at the U.S.-Canada border near Buffalo after agents there searched her car and found ampoules of HGH, syringes, and medical supplies she said belonged to her boss.
“She’s cooperating with authorities,” said Calvin Barry, Catalano’s attorney in Toronto. “We’re going to meet with the prosecutors and meet with the agents sometime next week.”
A criminal complaint filed by the border agent who arrested her argues there is probable cause to charge Catalano with smuggling, but Barry has said he expects her to be treated as a witness in the case.
Galea treated Woods to platelet-rich plasma therapy, and his attorney has vehemently denied that he was involved in providing performance-enhancing substances to athletes. He is accused of violating laws including selling an unapproved drug, conspiracy to import, conspiracy to export, and smuggling.
In addition, Galea is being investigated by the FBI field office in Buffalo, as well as the investigators for the Florida Department of Health, following reports that Galea treated Woods in that state, where he never had a medical license.
After studying kinesiology at the University of Waterloo, Catalano worked for Galea from around 2004 until the time of her arrest. According to several clients of the Toronto clinic where Galea treated a wide array of elite athletes, Catalano practically ran the place.
“The place would’ve fallen apart without her,” says Dana Ellis, an Olympic pole-vaulter from Canada who was treated by Galea in 2007. “She was always bubbly, smiling, and professional.”
Ellis, now a medical student, said she was “blindsided” by allegations of impropriety around Galea, who she said was an honest and open doctor.
Following her arrest, Catalano told a U.S. Immigration and Customs agent that Galea had had told her to bring the drugs and other items into the U.S. because “he had been flagged,” according to a criminal complaint the agent filed later.
The complaint says Catalano told agents “she knew that administering these medications while in the United States was illegal,” and that her employer told her that if she was questioned about the purpose of her trip, “she should say that they were coming to the United States for a conference with other medical professionals and that none of the equipment she was bringing into the United States was for treating patients."
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2010/01/08/2010-01-08_exassistant_of_woods_doc_to_meet_with_feds.html
Calvin Barry is a Toronto-based criminal lawyer with over 16 years experience as a senior crown attorney at Calvin Barry Professional Corporation - Criminal Lawyers. Calvin Barry Lawyer Toronto has practiced in the area of Criminal Law and Regulatory Offenses since October of 2004, accruing over 30 years experience in criminal law.
