NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Lisa Giannelli, one of more than 30 people connected to horse racing who were indicted in 2020 on drug-related charges, was sentenced on Thursday to 3 1/2 years in prison. In a jury trial in May, Giannelli, 56, was found guilty of a single charge of conspiracy to misbrand and adulterate drugs and faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Her lawyers appealed for a no-jail sentence of probation.  "This was not a one-time thing," Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil said in U.S. District Court in New York. "For 18 years, Ms. Giannelli marketed and sold what she knew were illegal and powerful performance-enhancing drugs."  :: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now! Vyskocil said that with its verdict the jury had rejected Giannelli's argument that she didn't know that what she was doing was illegal when she worked for Equestology, a Florida company owned by veterinarian Seth Fishman.  Giannelli, of Dalton, Del., was also sentenced to two years of supervised release after she gets out of prison. She was also ordered to pay a fine of $100,000 and to forfeit $900,000.  The government's investigation led to charges against 31 individuals. Since the charges were announced 30 months ago, Giannelli and Fishman have been convicted by juries, and 22 others have pleaded guilty. Fishman was sentenced in July to an 11-year prison sentence.  Those who have pleaded guilty include trainer Jorge Navarro. He was sentenced to five years in prison.  Trainer Jason Servis was also charged and is awaiting a trial scheduled to begin in New York in January.  Prosecutors said Fishman had designed performance-enhancing drugs that were marketed as being able to increase a horse's performance and endurance by building red blood cells and by masking pain. The substances were designed to avoid showing up in post-race tests conducted by racing regulators, prosecutors said. At the sentencing, U.S. District Attorney Sarah Mortazavi said Giannelli's actions on behalf of Fishman's company warranted the maximum sentence.  "Her criminal conduct touched hundreds of trainers and led to the doping of thousands of horses," she said.  She said Giannelli has yet to accept responsibility for her actions and that it was only after the jury's verdict that she offered a "mealy-mouthed explanation for her conduct."  Giannelli came to court with 13 supporters. Among them was a man she married while under indictment, and his mother.  "It was never my intention to break the law," Giannelli said.  She said that her arrest and conviction have left her life shattered.  :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. "It was never my intention to hurt anyone or to hurt any animal," Giannelli said. "Everything in my world now is upside down."  "At this point I wish I had never met Fishman," she said.  "I thought I was doing good," she added. "I never knew it was not legal."  Defense lawyers pleaded for a sentence of probation in court papers that detailed Giannelli's troubled upbringing and her abusive relationships with men. She said she obtained a license to train horses at harness tracks. She said she met Fishman in 2004 and became his sales representative.  Lawyer Alex Huot said Giannelli was not doing anything she wasn't instructed to do by Fishman.  "She took Dr. Fishman at his word," Huot said.  But Vyskocil told Giannelli she should have known better because the conduct she engaged in occurred when she was an adult.  The judge said Equestology's products were powerful substances that she believed could have and did kill horses.   Vyskocil said that in fashioning her sentence, she took into account Giannelli's background, her character, and more than 50 letters from Giannelli's family and friends.  "The letters all reflect that you are a kind person, and have a passion to make things better," the judge said.  At the end, she told Giannelli that she was sorry for her and for the situation that brought her to court.  "I do believe you are a good person," the judge said. "You have your whole life ahead of you."  Giannelli has been ordered to surrender to authorities Jan. 9, 2023. The Thoroughbred industry's leading publications are working together to cover this key trial.