Ross Cohen, harness trainer, sentenced to two years probation

Ross Cohen, an indicted harness trainer who became a government witness in a wide-ranging investigation into the illegal use of drugs in horse racing, was sentenced to two years of supervised release on Wednesday by a district court in New York.

Cohen, who testified in the only trial that arose from more than two dozen arrests in March, 2020, was the first indicted individual to plead guilty in the wide-ranging case. He entered the plea five months after his arrest.

Cohen, 52, later testified at a trial that he had purchased misbranded drugs from Dr. Seth Fishman and his marketing associate, Lisa Giannelli, and had administered them to his horses. Fishman received an 11-year prison sentence, and Giannelli received a sentence of 3 1/2 years.

Cohen is the last individual in the case to be sentenced. Nearly all the defendants issued guilty pleas, including prominent Thoroughbred trainers Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro. Servis received a four-year sentence, and Navarro is currently serving a five-year sentence.

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