Defendant Allegedly Involved in
Anabolic Steroids Distribution Investigation
U.S. Attorney’s OfficeJune 12,
2013 • Northern District of Texas(214) 659-8600
DALLAS—Thomas S. Kantzos, 45,
of Fort Worth, Texas, an officer with the Arlington Police Department (APD),
was arrested last night on a federal criminal complaint charging him with
unlawfully providing law enforcement sensitive information by exceeding authorized
access to a protected computer. He will make his initial appearance in federal
court this afternoon, at 2:00 p.m., before U.S. Magistrate Paul D. Stickney.
Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern
District of Texas.
According to the affidavit
filed with the criminal complaint, a particular individual (witness), who was
arrested in January 2013 for distributing anabolic steroids, a Scheduled III
controlled substance, admitted to routinely using and distributing anabolic
steroids and human growth hormones (HGH) during the last 13 years. This witness
also admitted that during the last five or six years, he directly and regularly
provided anabolic steroids and HGH to Kantzos, whom he knew to be an officer
with the APD. In fact, on at least one occasion, this witness delivered
approximately 20 HGH kits to Kantzos while Kantzos was on duty, wearing an APD
uniform, and driving a marked APD patrol car.
The affidavit further notes
that on multiple occasions, Kantzos solicited anabolic steroids from this
witness for himself and for others, including friends and colleagues in the
APD. Kantzos allegedly collected money from the other individuals before he
obtained the steroids, but on some occasions, he “fronted” the money for the
purchases. According to the affidavit, most of the anabolic steroids and HGH he
obtained from this witness were provided to other officers of the APD. Also,
Kantzos allegedly put this witness in contact with two other APD officers so
that they could obtain anabolic steroids directly.
Kantzos was authorized to
access law enforcement information obtained through the Texas Crime Information
Center (TCIC) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), and he received
specialized training on the authorized uses of the information, as well as the
potential penalties for the misuse of such information. Personal use of such
information, including releasing information to members of the general public,
is not authorized and violates APD policy.
On several occasions, according
to the affidavit, this witness, who indicated he was concerned that police
might be watching his activities, asked Kantzos to query a name or a license
plate using a law enforcement database. On several occasions, Kantzos did this,
or had someone else do it for him, and then provided the obtained sensitive
information to the witness. In fact, on one occasion in December 2011, Kantzos
provided the name of a person who was known to be a law enforcement officer
and, based on that information, the witness inspected his/her vehicle and
discovered a tracking device attached to it. The investigation revealed that
this witness immediately began “laying low” for several weeks. During that
time, however, the witness and Kantzos talked about the tracking device and the
police surveillance of the witness.
A federal complaint is a
written statement of the essential facts of the offense charged and must be
made under oath before a magistrate judge. A defendant is entitled to the
presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has 30
days to present the matter to a grand jury for indictment. Kantzos is charged
with exceeding authorized access to a protected computer. That offense, as
charged, carries a maximum statutory penalty 10 years in federal prison and a
$250,000 fine, per count.
The matter is being
investigated by the FBI and the Texas Ranger Division of the Texas Department
of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Penley and Deputy Criminal Chief
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Tromblay are in charge of the prosecution.