District Attorney David Soares is trying to convince Albany County voters that his costly (and possibly illegal) steroid investigation of Signature Pharmacy was a success even though the case was dismissed due to Soares’ incompetence. David Soares points to the Albany County District Attorney Office’s “money grab” of $512,000 in forfeited assets as the ultimate measure of the Signature Pharmacy investigation’s success.

David Soares is desperately trying to spin the Signature Pharmacy investigation as a success. The fact that the case against the primary targets of the investigation was dismissed is apparently irrelevant.

Roger Cusick, his primary challenger in the local District Attorney race, blasted David Soares in a debate for his misguided anti-steroid crusade against Signature Pharmacy (”DA Candidates Spar at Debate,” October 8).

Cusick also said the DA should be prosecuting more cases in Albany County and less involving his steroids investigation. Soares says the steroids investigation brought in thousands of dollars into the county and stopped illegal steroids from coming into the Capital Region.

The Soares’ campaign has been quick to tell the media about the half million dollars seized from the steroid pharmacy investigations. In a sign of the campaign’s desperation, they also decided to donate a good portion of the forfeited funds to an anti-drug program.

The day after the debate, District Attorney David Soares distributed $163,117 in forfeited money seized during the course of the steroid pharmacy investigation to Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services to keep kids off drugs (”Forfeited funds go to anti-drug effort,” October 9).

Soares insisted the check presentation was not in response to criticism from Roger Cusick, a Republican running on the newly formed Integrity Party. During a debate Tuesday at Albany Law School, Cusick ripped Soares’ case against Signature Compounding Pharmacy in Orlando, Fla, which has resulted in 17 convictions. Charges were recently dismissed against the four operators of the pharmacy, who were the primary targets of the probe. Soares is appealing.

David Soares is up for re-election on November 4th. By many accounts, his re-election campaign appears doomed.