Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state lawmakers who oversee horse racing expressed serious concern this week about regulators’ failure to investigate buyers of illegal horse drugs. Their comments came after New York Focus revealed that key evidence from an FBI investigation into an international horse doping ring sat untouched for years.

In 2023, a former FBI agent sent state racing regulators documents showing that numerous horse owners and trainers who operate in New York had purchased illegal drugs meant to make their horses run faster.

The veterinarian who sold the drugs, Seth Fishman, was prosecuted and sentenced to 11 years in prison. But many of his customers faced no consequences, and have continued to race and win money in New York and other states. Since Fishman’s conviction, the hundreds of horse trainers and owners implicated in the scandal have won at least $40 million in racing prizes.

After ignoring the evidence for over two years, the New York Gaming Commission has now opened an investigation, and the inspector who shelved the records has been placed on administrative leave.

Gov. Hochul’s spokesperson Sean Butler said that Hochul “has zero tolerance for rule-breaking, and that includes doping in horse racing.”

“An investigation is underway and we expect it to be thorough, with consequences if wrongdoing is found,” Butler added.

Assemblymember Carrie Woerner, who chairs the Committee on Racing and Wagering, said these events amounted to a “huge failing” by the gaming commission.

“I don’t know how the paper trail got lost, but I read in your article that they are now pursuing it, and I think that’s great,” Woerner told New York Focus. “If the allegations are proven to be true, then there should be consequences.”

Woerner suggested that gaming regulators should ban proven drug purchasers from participating in racing, and said that the bans could be either permanent or temporary, depending on the severity of the offense.

Senator Joseph Addabbo, who chairs the Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering, declined to comment on the specifics of the case, citing the pending investigation, but said that “anybody who goes above and beyond and breaks a law, or a rule” should face “consequences for their actions.”

Purchasing unlicensed horse drugs is a violation of federal law, regardless of whether the drugs are actually used. New York racing regulators are also permitted to deny racing licenses to anyone they choose if they determine that it is in “the best interests of racing” to do so.

In an email, gaming commission spokesperson Lee Park told New York Focus that the commission “shares the view of these lawmakers that doping infractions warrant serious consequences.” Regulators are “conducting a thorough investigation into this matter, which remains ongoing,” he added.