Federal authorities have indicted a 46-year-old Jacksonville man on charges of orchestrating a doping scheme designed to impact major international athletic competitions, including last year’s Paris Olympics, according to an announcement Tuesday from U.S. prosecutors.
Paul Alexander Askew stands accused of working with others to supply performance-enhancing substances to at least one athlete between July 2023 and January 2024, according to U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe’s office.
The alleged scheme targeted several high-profile competitions, including the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, the U.S. Olympic Trials, and the Paris Summer Olympics, federal prosecutors stated in the indictment.
Under federal law, an indictment represents formal criminal charges, though defendants remain innocent until proven guilty in court.
Should he be found guilty, Askew could face up to a decade behind bars in federal prison.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency praised the charges, noting they were brought under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act. This 2020 federal law allows American prosecutors to pursue penalties of up to $1 million in fines and 10-year prison sentences, even against foreign nationals whose actions impact American competitors.
“While athletes face clear sanctions under the World Anti-Doping Code, others have escaped responsibility for undermining the integrity of sport,” USADA said in a statement.
“Without RADA, this indictment of an athlete support person never would have happened, demonstrating how it can be a powerful complement to the Code in ensuring that all those who engage in doping fraud are held accountable.”
