Dr. Alexander Chan, a New York-based veterinarian accused of working with embattled trainer Jason Servis to administer performance-enhancing drugs to racehorses, is expected to change his plea to guilty in a hearing Dec. 5 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
Chan, who long maintained a plea of not guilty and was to be tried in court with Servis Jan. 9, is to come before U.S. District Court Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil Monday for a change-of-plea hearing, according to a Dec. 1 court filing. They were to be tried together based on a federal rule of criminal procedure allowing joinder if defendants are alleged to have participated in the same act or series of acts.
A guilty plea and cooperation with prosecutors could prove problematic for Servis' defense, as Chan is alleged to have coordinated the sourcing and administration of SGF-1000, which prosecutors say is a PED, with Servis to treat his horses. The government also claims Chan falsified billing records to not reflect the drugs he gave Servis trainees.
With Chan's change of plea, Servis will be the only individual of the more than two dozen charged in the horse-doping scheme to have not been tried or entered a guilty plea.
As of Dec. 1, Servis' jury trial remains on schedule. Attorneys for the government and Servis are to file legal paperwork this month related to the case.
Servis, who trained Maximum Security to multiple grade 1 victories, was one of the leading trainers in North America before his indictment and suspension from racing in March 2020.
