ALBANY – The New York State Gaming Commission issued a $343,400 fine and a three-year ban against harness trainer Luis Pena on Monday, holding him responsible for 1,717 equine drug violations the major of which occurred at Yonkers Raceway.
In 2012, the commission took action against Pena after an investigation of veterinary records determined he was responsible for racing illegally drugged harness horses between January 2010 and April 2012.
The violations included a number of substances, most of which were administered to horses outside the permitted timeframe set by the commission. The drugs included hormones, steroids, and anti-inflammatory NSAIDs.
After a subsequent hearing and adjudication, Pena and his attorney pursued a number of legal attempts to avoid his responsibility, all of which were ultimately rejected.
Pena never testified to deny that he repeatedly cheated by administering illegal substances to race horses more than 1,000 times.
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