June 27, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Los Angeles Area Former Cyclist to be Sentenced Today

LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A Los Angeles-based former professional cyclist, who is banned for life from competition due to doping violations, is expected to be sentenced today for selling performance-enhancing drugs imported from overseas in violation of federal law.

Nick Brandt-Sorenson, 35, faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine on the misdemeanor count of introducing a misbranded drug into interstate commerce, but could receive a probationary sentence, according to documents filed in Los Angeles federal court.

Defense attorney Marilyn E. Bednarski said her client regrets his involvement with the banned substances.

“The experience of the investigation and prosecution has been significant for this young man,” the attorney said. “He’s in a very different place than he was at the time. This experience has had a huge impact on him.”

Brandt-Sorenson pleaded guilty to the charge in March, admitting to selling a vial of erythropoietin, a hormone known as EPO that boosts endurance by increasing the number of red blood cells in the circulatory system, for $631 to an athlete in Colorado, according to federal prosecutors.

In 2011, Brandt-Sorenson created the “Anemia Patient Group” website “under the guise” of providing information about various performance- enhancing drugs and substances, according to the plea agreement.

In fact, Brandt-Sorenson sold Actovegin, a derivative of calf’s blood which is not approved for any use in humans, EPO and other banned substances through his blog, according to prosecutors, who said the drugs were imported from online pharmacies in China and Europe.

Brandt-Sorenson, who designs made-to-measure cycling apparel for his namesake fashion line, is a multi-time California State Criterium Champion and was briefly ranked top 20 in the country, according to the company’s website.

On July 11, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced that Brandt-Sorenson had accepted a lifetime ban for his second and third doping offenses.

In the summer of 2013, just prior to the conclusion of Brandt-Sorenson’s first period of ineligibility, the agency said it obtained non-analytical evidence indicating that the cyclist had engaged in additional prohibited doping conduct, both prior to, and subsequent to, USADA’s announcement of his first doping violation on January 2012.

USADA said this month that it had concluded that Brandt-Sorenson was involved in marketing and distributing prohibited and illegal substances to fellow athletes through the “Anemia Patient” website.

Under the agency’s code, “a lifetime period of ineligibility is the appropriate consequence for a third anti-doping rule violation,” USADA said in a press release.

Brandt-Sorenson is retired from competition, according to his website.

Related Posts

Café UCLA Pops Up in Westwood to Honor Arthur Ashe’s Historic Wimbledon Win

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Three-Day Celebration Includes Giveaways in Tribute to the Iconic Athlete and Activist UCLA will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Arthur...

Captain America Hits the Skirball Big Screen for Heroic Outdoor Movie Night

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Museum-Goers Can Also Catch a Superhero-Themed Drawing Session The Skirball Cultural Center will host an outdoor screening of Captain America:...

Demolition Underway at Beverly Grove Squatter Site After Mystery Fire Renews Safety Fears

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Crews Begin Tearing Down Long-Vacant Apartments on First and Flores  Demolition has begun at a group of long-abandoned apartment buildings...

(Video) Welcome to the Urban Jungle — where nature meets the city and style meets soul

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Whether you’re chasing that gritty city energy or carving out a green oasis in your space, we’re here to help...

Santa Monica Police Arrest Shooting Suspect After Officer Ambushed Near Downtown Mall

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Man Linked to Waymo Vehicle Gunfire Taken Into Custody Following Tense Manhunt The suspect wanted in connection with a shooting...

Brentwood Weekend Specials: $9 Wine & Street Tacos, Blush-Inspired Lattes & Beauty Swag

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Street Tacos and Wine Meets Self-Care in Brentwood and Santa Monica Brentwood Fine Wines will welcome back local culinary favorite...

Michelin Stars Shine Bright on LA: Somni West Hollywood and Providence Earn Top Honors

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Two Restaurants in Los Angeles Receive Three Stars as Michelin Guide Celebrates Bold Flavors The MICHELIN Guide California 2025 celebrated...

Cherished Culver City Ice Cream Vendor Abducted in Broad Daylight

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano’s Disappearance Led To Grassroots Action Ambrocio Lozano, also known in the neighborhood as Enrique, was abducted around...

Brentwood Home by Landry Design Group Wins Top National Architecture Award

June 25, 2025

June 25, 2025

Landry Design Group Wins Gold Nugget Awards for Brentwood, Crestwood Projects Landry Design Group (LDG) earned two top honors at...

(Video) WISE & Healthy Aging Helps Loved Ones Boost Their Quality of Life

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

See How the Nonprofit’s Innovative Programs Advance the Dignity of Life for Older Adults See How the Nonprofit’s Innovative Programs...

Masked Federal Agents Detain Iranian Asylum Seeker and Wife in Westwood

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

31-Year-Old Woman was Hospitalized After Possible Medical Emergency On Tuesday, June 24, between 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., near the...

Los Angeles Leaders Push to Ban Masks for Federal Agents Amid Immigration Raids

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Concerns Grow Over Anonymous ICE and CBP Officers in Los Angeles   A growing coalition of California lawmakers and local leaders...

(Video) Food Fight: Chefs Join Forces to Raise Money to Protect Immigrant Families in Venice

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Estrano, Little Dynamite, Sunday Gravy, Kabob Senpai Answer the Call From Turk’s Pizza Party. Dave Turkel Put This Food Resistance...

Squatter-Plagued Beverly Grove Buildings Could Be Razed After Hazard Cleanup

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Demolition of Three Abandoned Apartments May Begin in Two Weeks Three abandoned apartment buildings in Beverly Grove may soon be...

From Westwood to DTLA, Angelenos March Against Military Escalation in Iran

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Protestors Rally at the Westwood Federal Building This Weekend Following President Donald Trump’s authorization of airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear-related...