Anthony Bosch, whose Biogenesis clinic supplied performance-enhancing drugs that led to Major League Baseball's biggest doping scandal, has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Bosch, who pleaded guilty to a testosterone distribution charge last October, supplied steroids, human growth hormone and testosterone that led to 13 player suspensions, including a 162-game ban that sidelined New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez for the entire 2014 season.
Prosecutors had recommended some leniency in sentencing Bosch based upon his co-operation with Major League Baseball and federal authorities, but US District Judge Darrin Gayles on Tuesday opted for the upper end of punishment guidelines.
The sentencing comes on the eve of the start of pre-season training for Major League Baseball clubs ahead of the 2015 campaign.
At the peak of his operation, Bosch was paid up to $US12,000 ($A15,400) a month by clients. But the scheme began to unravel after a 2013 report in the Miami New Times detailed Rodriguez's links to Bosch.
Other players suspended in 2013 in connection with Major League Baseball's Biogenesis probe were Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta, Everth Cabrera, Fautino De Los Santos, Francisco Cervelli, Fernando Martinez, Antonio Bastardo, Jesus Montero, Sergio Escalona, Jordany Valdespin, Cesar Puello and Jordan Norberto.
Three other players involved in the Biogenesis case - Bartolo Colon, Melky Cabrera and Yasmani Grandal - were slapped with 50-game bans for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs before those suspensions.
And former National League Most Valuable Player Ryan Braun received a 65-game suspension for his involvement with Biogenesis before the investigation results were revealed.
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