Columbus, OH — Former harness racing trainer Ross Cohen, 52, who was indicted by federal authorities in March 2020 along with 26 others for their roles in a wide-ranging horse doping scheme, was sentenced yesterday in the U.S. District Court Southern District of New York by Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil.

Cohen must pay a forfeiture of $40,000 and restitution in the amount of $28,277.15 “to the victims of the offense…in United States v. Navarro et al.” Cohen’s sentence is pursuant to a plea agreement made between Cohen and the federal government on June 23, 2020.

In January 2022, Cohen testified for the prosecution in its case against disgraced veterinarian Dr. Seth Fishman, saying that he purchased performance-enhancing drugs for racehorses from Fishman through a distributor, Lisa Giannelli, who also was indicted. Both Fishman and Giannelli subsequently were convicted and received prison sentences of 11 years and 3-1/2 years, respectively. During his testimony, Cohen also alleged that he had paid off drivers to fix races years ago at Yonkers Raceway, although he provided few details.

The forfeiture document may be viewed at this link.

The restitution document may be viewed at this link.