Marcos Zulueta to change not-guilty plea to charges of administering illegal drugs

Marcos Zulueta, one of three trainers indicted last year along with two dozen other individuals on charges related to administering illegal substances to racehorses, will change his initial plea of not guilty in the case, according to a Thursday court filing.

Zulueta, who trained in the Mid-Atlantic before being banned after being indicted, will have his change-of-plea hearing on Oct. 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, according to the filing.

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Zulueta will be the eighth individual in the case to enter a guilty plea after initially pleading not guilty. Among those who have pleaded guilty are Jorge Navarro, a leading trainer who will be sentenced in December on one charge of drug adulteration and misbranding conspiracy. Navarro is facing a sentence of up to five years in prison and three years parole.

Zulueta was taped on wiretapped conversations with Navarro referring to the illegal administrations of several substances, according to an indictment.

The third trainer who was indicted, Jason Servis, has entered a not guilty plea and is challenging the admissibility of evidence collected on wiretaps, along with other defendants. The judge in the case is expected to rule on the challenge shortly.