Keith Ashabranner, 32, of O'Fallon, pleaded guilty Feb. 6 in federal court in St. Louis to one charge of conspiracy to possess and distribute human growth hormone.

He is scheduled to be sentenced May 4 by U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel. Ashabranner faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. His codefendant, Gregory Loomans, 40, of St. Charles, pleaded guilty in December and is scheduled to be sentenced March 16.

According to court documents, the two men were body builders and frequented gyms in St. Charles County.

They admitted with their pleas that they bought steroids and human growth hormone from China. The packages, according to court documents, were deliberately mislabeled. Sometimes the label said "mechanical parts."

The two men injected a portion of the drugs and sold and distributed the remaining drugs to other body builders in Missouri. In his plea agreement, Ashabranner admitted spending about $32,483 for the Chinese drugs.

According to court records, Loomans ultimately had an adverse reaction to the drugs and had to seek help from a doctor.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Office of Criminal Investigation for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Missouri South Central Drug Task Force investigated the case, with assistance from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Homeland Security Investigations.