Scott Rabine is a former powerlifter who once set an IPA (International Powerlifting Association) world record within the one hundred and eighty pound weight class. He set this record back in 2002. Now, he’s received a prison sentence of ten years for selling Oxycontin. Rabine is a former owner of Spartan Fitness Training Center (Glen Falls, NY).
Scott Rabine sentenced to 10 years
Rabine believed that he was receiving a good deal when prosecuting attorneys decided to drop a couple of his charges. These charges were anabolic steroids possession charges. The charges would be dropped if Rabine was willing to plead guilty to the illegal sale of Oxycontin, as well as 3rd-degree Grand Larceny. However, the deal didn’t really lower his sentence. He received a lengthy, ten-year sentence.
John Call is a Warren County Judge and he sentenced Scott Rabine to ten years in prison, plus three years of parole. The sentence was handed down on the 24th of April, 2015. Rabine did hire a well-known defense lawyer, who is considered one of the top attorneys of this type within upstate New York. Rabine believed that he’d get a lighter sentence and feels that his sentence was excessive. He filed an appeal with the New York State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division.
The appeal was rejected by Robert Rose, who is a Supreme Court Justice in New York. This ruling was announced on the 14th of September, 2017. According to Judge Rose, Rabine understood his plea agreement in full when he signed it and the plea agreement stipulated that his right to appeal would be waived.
The Judge stated that the defendant was cognizant that he was waiving his right to appeal. Rabine’s attorney, E. Stewart Jones, Jr., is a partner at law firm called Jones Hacker and Murphy.
Jones, Jr. is renowned as one of the nation’s top defense attorneys. However, the fact that Rabine was working with such a famous and respected lawyer worked against him during the appeal. The Judge felt that a lawyer of Jones, Jr.’s caliber would definitely explain the terms of the plea agreement, including the waiving of the right to appeal.
As well, the District Attorney for Washington County, Tony Jordan, indicated that Scott Rabine understood that he was waiving the right to appeal before signing the plea agreement. The District Attorney also said that Rabine understood that a ten year prison sentence was a possibility. The DA had the option of pushing for a sentence of up to sixty years for this case! If Rabine hadn’t signed the plea agreement, he might be facing much more prison time.
Police Received a Tip About Rabine’s Activities
Rabine’s legal problems began because the GFPD (Glen Falls Police Department) began an investigation into his fitness center after getting a tip about drug dealing at this gym. GFPD worked with NYSP (New York State Police), the New York Department of Taxation and Finance and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in order to find out what was happening at the Spartan Fitness Training Center.
As the investigation unfolded, Rabine was determined to be the guilty party.
Investigators who were undercover cops purchased Oxycontin and steroids from Rabine (six purchases were made) outside of the gym that he used to own. These purchases happened in 2014. All of the purchases were captured on video. As well, they were audio-taped. Four purchases were for Oxycontin and two purchases were for anabolic steroids.
Rabine had prescriptions in his name for the Oxycontin that he trafficked. Rabine utilized taxpayer money by accessing reimbursement benefits from Medicare in order to purchase the Oxycontin. This offense made his legal problems more serious.
At present, Scott Rabine is serving a ten-year sentence at the Coxscakle Correctional Facility. It’s a maximum-security prison which is situated in New York’s Greene County. Rabine will need to serve 7/8th of his sentence or more before he will become eligible for parole. This the the second time that Rabine has been convicted of a felony. He’ll be able to apply for parole in July of 2023.
It’s an extreme downward spiral for a man who was once a notable powerlifter. Rabine was also renowned for helping athlete-students at a local high school (South Glen Falls High School) with nutrition and training programs. The students were on the varsity softball team and Rabine’s assistance may have helped them to win the championship in 2007.
