Tag: Aaron Singerman
Aaron Singerman Issues First Statement Since Beginning Prison Sentence
Aaron Singerman addresses the public for the first time in months.
After months without contact with the public, REDCON1 owner Aaron Singerman recently broke his silence from prison. The businessman addressed the public and gave a window into his recent transition to life behind bars. It appears that things have been hard on Singerman as his recent column explains.
Aaron Singerman, owner of the REDCON1 supplement brand recently broke his silence since being sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison back in January. The charges against Singerman and his subsequent conviction sent shockwaves through the industry. His last public contact came back in January of this year. Since then nothing has been heard. That is until now.
The REDCON1 owner addressed the public in a recent column giving updates to his current situation. From the sounds of things, it appears that Aaron Singerman is having a rough time early into his prison sentence. While it may be tough times for the businessman, he does provide some glimmer of contentment in his words.
Words From Singerman
I have a 54-month prison sentence, and I will likely serve less when you subtract good time plus all of the programs available here at FPC Pensacola. It’s a long story, but the extremely quick version is: I owned a company, Blackstone Labs, and we sold prohormones. I’m sure you know about those, but if not, a quick Google search will explain them … and you might even find people still selling them! Lol.
Prohormones officially became illegal with the induction of the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014 (DASCA) and we kept selling some after the ban. I left that company in 2016, sold my shares, and started REDCON1.
Aaron Singerman then goes on to explain how he came to be in his current predicament.
The federal government indicted me in 2019 and after all the COVID nonsense we were set to go to trial in 2022. I decided to change my plea and got 54 months in prison for it. I don’t feel sorry for myself and I’m not sad or mad. I’m using my time to better myself, and I plan to come out of here a better person.
I feel very fortunate for the life I have, and all I have waiting for me when I get out. I’m currently in Pensacola at a prison camp, but it took MONTHS to get here, and they were pretty terrible. For 28 days I was in an 8’x10′ for 23 hours out of the day. My first of four quarantines I’ve done in prison. Thankfully, that is all behind me. The one thing I will tell you about prison is it makes you so grateful for every little thing. From getting a new, plumper pillow to an extra call to a loved one. I can’t even imagine the gratitude I’ll feel when I am able to walk out of here into the arms of my wife and boys!
From the sounds of things it’s clear that Aaron Singerman is going to use his time behind bars to better himself. While he could take the low road and be down on himself, it appears that he’s still choosing gratitude which will potentially make him a better human being by the end of his prison stay.
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News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
PJ Braun Sentenced To 4.5 Years In Prison, Guy Cisternino Steps Up At Blackstone Labs
Image via Instagram @pjbraunfitness
After a slight delay, PJ Braun has been sentenced to 54 months in prison and announces increased role of Guy Cisternino at Blackstone Labs during his absence.
On Thursday, February 17, 2022, Blackstone Labs president PJ Braun was officially sentenced to 54 months in prison after a slight delay in the courts. A day after the sentencing, Braun made his last official announcement as president announcing that Guy Cisternino will step up in an increased role at Blackstone Labs. This news comes just under one month after Aaron Singerman’s sentencing.
Both PJ Braun and Aaron Singerman were convicted of selling illegal anabolic steroids and other unlawful controlled substances marketed as dietary supplements. During the case, both defendants pleaded guilty.
In addition to the 54 months in prison, PJ Braun also had to forfeit $3 million alongside Blackstone Labs forfeiting $1.2 million. Despite these events, Braun seems to remain confident that Blackstone Labs will continue to not only stay stable but grow during his absence.
In his last official statement as president posted to Instagram, PJ Braun also announced that Guy Cisternino will be “taking over” during his time in prison. While this does not go into exact detail of what this means – it is clear that Cisternino will take on an increased responsibility within the company. Cisternino is already a sponsored athlete of Blackstone Labs.
PJ Braun also took some time to explain his actions and the court sentencing in the video. He claimed that the two illegal substance Blackstone Labs sold were a pro hormone and SARMs. He also claims that neither he nor Aaron Singerman were aware that they should not be selling them. Despite this, he takes full responsibility for his actions and accepts the time he will serve in prison.
You can watch the full video below:
In the lead up to the sentencing, Aaron Singerman made many headlines due to some erratic actions. This included two DUIs – one in a boat and one in a car. PJ Braun’s sentencing was originally set to be the same day as Singerman’s but was postponed. Reports claim that this postponement was due to unspecified medical issues that needed to be reviewed before the final sentencing.
Both PJ Braun and Aaron Singerman had spoken with Generation Iron previously across various digital series we have produced. PJ Braun was featured in our Muscle Moguls series – which had an entire episode dedicated to the original raid of Blackstone Labs.
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Aaron Singerman also spoke with Generation Iron via our GI Exclusive interview series. In one particular segment, Singerman discussed his relationship with PJ Braun and the legal action taken against Blackstone Labs.
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At this time it is unclear if either PJ Braun or Aaron Singerman will serve the full 4.5 year sentence. It’s likely that they will be able to earn reduced sentencing for good behavior among other factors.
Regardless, at this moment PJ Braun seems optimistic that Blackstone Labs will still be flourishing upon his return. With many other employees and athletes involved in the 22 year long running business – hopefully the company will be able to survive the turmoil of the case.
For more updates on all things bodybuilding, fitness, and strength sports – make sure to stay tuned to the Generation Iron Fitness Network!
BREAKING: Aaron Singerman Sentenced To 4.5 Years In Prison
Reports indicated that Aaron Singerman and PJ Braun had pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Singerman and Braun pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute substances and to selling unapproved new drugs. Blackstone Labs LLC had also pleaded guilty to these same charge as well as one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and to committing mail and wire fraud.
In more direct terms, this indicated that in pleading guilty, Aaron Singerman and PJ Braun have admitted to misleading customers through Blackstone Labs by marketing and selling controlled substances that were not approved by the FDA as dietary supplements. Blackstone Labs has also made these admissions while also pleading guilty to additional charges as mentioned above.
Not only were the substances marketed and sold as dietary supplements. According to the DOJ report, the substances were falsely represented as made in “FDA approved” facilities when that was not the case. FDA approved facilities are regulated to standards set by the FDA. Controlled substances, of course, would not be produced from such facilities.
Aaron Singerman’s DUI’s before sentencing
In the weeks leading up to Aaron Singerman’s sentencing, the supplement co-founder found himself running into more legal trouble while on probation. In November 2021, Singerman was arrested for boating under the influence. This resulted in the suspension of his driver’s license and a new bond condition consistent with the latter restriction.
On January 13, 2022, Aaron Singerman made headlines again, he was arrested for driving a car under the influence and causing an accident. According to the court filing, Singerman was “in flagrant violation of this court’s order and Florida law, and with total disregard for public safety, the defendant illegally drove a car, while admittedly under the influence of sleeping medication, and had a car accident.”
Federal prosecutors requested a judge revoke Aaron Singerman’s bond conditions. This came just weeks before today’s sentencing for his role in the sale of illegal products marketed as dietary supplements.
The government also requested an order that he be held without bond, pending sentencing. Singerman’s lawyer, James Durham, opposed the motion, according to prosecutors’ court filing.
Aaron Singerman and PJ Braun’s past statements on the Blackstone Labs LLC raid
Generation Iron has been following the story and interviewed PJ Braun multiple times. Generation Iron produced an original series on the life of the bodybuilding business entrepreneur. In one episode of the series, Braun detailed the experience of being raided by the federal government in 2017. You can watch that episode below:
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Aaron Singerman has also spoken with Generation Iron in previous GI Exclusive interviews. In one segment, he details his past relationship with PJ Braun and explains their fall out after the Blackstone Labs LLC raid in 2017. You can also watch that video below right here:
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This story is still developing. Generation Iron will continue to update as more information becomes available. For the latest news and updates please follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Redcon1’s Aaron Singerman Reveals All On His Falling Out With PJ Braun & Blackstone Labs
Aaron Singerman details his rise in the bodybuilding supplement world and gets honest on falling out with PJ Braun.
Aaron Singerman is a notable name in the bodybuilding industry – mostly for his success in the world of supplements. With the supplement industry so oversaturated – it’s always a major accomplishment when one succeeds to such a high degree. But that doesn’t mean Singerman’s rise didn’t come with some hurdles. Most notably, he had a very public and somewhat dramatic falling out with his former business partner PJ Braun. In our latest GI Exclusive, Aaron Singerman details his rise and also reveals the truth behind is split with PJ Braun and Blackstone Labs.
While Aarong Singerman might be best known for his supplement company Redcon1, he was also involved in the shockingly fast success of Blackstone Labs. Blackstone Labs was known as a more “hardcore” supplement company. Aarong Singerman and PJ Braun worked together to make it such a massive success.
But that success came with a hefty load of drama. Soon after Blackstone Labs cemented itself as a success, Aarong Singerman had a very public falling out with PJ Braun. Not only that, but Singerman eventually left Blackstone Labs completely.
Many rumors swirled around the web as to exactly what happened. Even beyond that, both Singerman and Braun are thought to now be bitter rivals in the public eye. But is that true? And what is the true story about the falling out between these two successful bodybuilding entrepreneurs?
During our video conversation with Aaron Singerman, he explained in honest detail exactly what happened from his perspective. While the entire falling out was surely a long story of multiple events, the broad stroke of it is that the two men started to change in opposite directions.
“As people get older, your values change,” Aaron Singerman states in our interview. He continued:
“And as money is involved, people’s personalities could change. And so, I think what really happened was – two guys were best buddies who had so much in common and then it really dramatically shifted apart. Because you know, PJ was doing what we were initially doing – having fun doing his thing. And then I had babies, more babies, another baby, you know? And my life was so much different and my values changed too. Where his were pretty much still the same and mine had dramatically shifted… The things that appealed to me before don’t appeal to me now.”
We then followed up by discussing the present. Does Singerman still have a problem with PJ Braun and vice versa? According to Singerman, not at all. He claims that he has no ill will towards Braun.
You can watch Aarong Singerman’s full comments about the rise of Redcon1, Blackstone Labs, and his falling out with PJ Braun in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Aaron Singerman: Bodybuilding Today Is “More Swelling, Less Definition”
Aaron Singerman shares his gut feelings about the modern era of bodybuilding compared to previous decades.
Aaron Singerman has been making some major moves in the bodybuilding space with the recent announcement that Kai Greene has become a Redcon1 sponsored athlete. Being a man so focused on preparing today for the future, we wanted to know his thoughts on the current state of bodybuilding. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Aaron Singerman gives his critique of today’s bodybuilders and looks towards a hopeful future.
One of Redcon1’s biggest sponsored athletes (besides the recent acquisition of Kai) is Cedric McMillan. In a sense, this tells you everything you need to know about Aaron Singerman’s preferred look in bodybuilding. So Aaron’s thoughts on modern bodybuilding might not come to a surprise – he thinks the conditioning is lacking.
He makes sure to clarify that the athletes competing today are talented and hard working. In fact, he doesn’t paint the difference in conditioning as an objectively bad thing. He just finds it different.
Aaron Singerman is also not quite sure why the conditioning is different today. He’s heard all of the possible reasons – evolution of drugs, change in drug culture, or perhaps the rise of social media having an effect. At the end of the day, Aaron doesn’t know what causes it. He also doesn’t know if it’s better or worse. But for his personal opinion, he has a preference to what he grew up with in the 90s era.
Aaron Singerman uses Kevin Levrone as the prime example of what a bodybuilder should look like in his opinion. He thinks bodybuilders today focus “more on swelling, less on definition.” This concept is what has plagued some of the most promising athletes such as Big Ramy and Roelly Winklaar. Truly mammoth competitors that falter in the small details.
Overall, Aaron Singerman has a positive outlook about bodybuilding as a whole – especially for the future. The new ownership of the Olympia brand gives him increased hope for the sport to continue to thrive. Unlike AMI, Jake Wood has been a passionate fan of the sport.
Aaron Singerman believes that if AMI still had ownership fo Olympia, it would have already been full cancelled due to the pandemic. While safety is important, having faith in finding an alternative safe way to continue on in the name of the athletes is paramount. Aaron believes that beyond safety, the livelihood of the sport most be protected during these challenging times.
So while this year has had its drawbacks, Aaron Singerman sees these decisions during hard times as proof that the Olympia and bodybuilding will continue to thrive in the future. Perhaps the fresh Olympia ownership might also lead to a change in physiques for the new generation. Once we’re out of the weeds we’ll soon find out.
You can watch Aaron Singerman’s full comments in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Aaron Singerman Reveals The Future Supplement Trends That Will Take Over Bodybuilding
Aaron Singerman discusses what changes appear to be trending in big ways in the supplement industry.
Supplementation is a big industry even outside of bodybuilding proper. As society has become more educated and focused on health, supplements have become common in nearly every household. But much like any industry, the technology, culture, and trends change from decade to decade. What does the future have in store for supplements? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Aaron Singerman shares insight into what future trends will take over the supplement industry and how it will affect bodybuilding.
Aaron Singerman has been in charge of RedCon1 for quite a long time. It’s become a heavy hitter in the bodybuilding and supplement industry. So during our video conversation, we wanted to see what the future holds for supplements. What changes are on the way and what trends will become the norm? Most importantly, how will it affect bodybuilding and the future of the sport?
Aaron Singerman sees the biggest trend growing right now is consuming supplements on the go. Making supplements more mobile is booming right now in the industry. Singerman can see it become the main way that we all relate to and consume supplements. Does this mean no more giant tubs of protein powder? Probably not – but it might mean that they become less common as we see easy to care single use products.
On top of that, Aaron Singerman believes that the recent pandemic has accelerated another big change happening in the supplement world. The direct-to-consumer market was already growing slowly due to the rise of the internet. Now with the pandemic causing superstores to be held closed or vacant, direct to consumer is more important than ever.
The pandemic has forced companies to adapt to that model faster than they otherwise would have. This could have a huge impact on the future of supplements. It can cause a sea change in what brands or distributors are the most common and popular.
Ultimately, this would be a win-win. Consumers can get more direct access to the brands they love without a middleman. Brands can get direct sales without big superstores taking a cut.
Of course, there will always be big online marketplaces like Amazon to fill in the gap. But with the model changing, if a brand is powerful enough, they won’t have to rely majority on distributors like Amazon. Instead their own website would be a central hub.
Vlad Yudin and Aaron Singerman also touch upon some other smaller trends that have popped up in supplements such as protein ice cream and the further rise of supplement bars and meal replacements. While popular – the cost for these kinds of items is enormous and thus prevents them from ever becoming truly mainstream.
You can watch Aaron Singerman break it all down in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Aaron Singerman and PJ Braun Agree To Plea Deal & Could Face Up To 13 Years In Prison
The information comes from a press release published by the United States Department of Justice. Further reports have indicated that Aaron Singerman and PJ Braun have pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Singerman and Braun pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute substances and to selling unapproved new drugs. Blackstone Labs LLC has also pleaded guilty to these same charge as well as one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and to committing mail and wire fraud.
In more direct terms, this report is indicating that in pleading guilty, Aaron Singerman and PJ Braun have admitted to misleading customers through Blackstone Labs by marketing and selling controlled substances that were not approved by the FDA as dietary supplements. Blackstone Labs has also made these admissions while also pleading guilty to additional charges as mentioned above.
Not only were the substances marketed and sold as dietary supplements. According to the DOJ report, the substances were falsely represented as made in “FDA approved” facilities when that was not the case. FDA approved facilities are regulated to standards set by the FDA. Controlled substances, of course, would not be produced from such facilities.
The news of this plea deal comes long after first reports were revealed about the federal charges made against Aaron Singerman and PJ Braun. Reported in March of 2019, this case seemed to fade from public view until now with this reported plea deal. Singerman’s current supplement company, RedCon1, is one of the biggest supplement brands in the bodybuilding industry today. Most notably, Aaron Singerman pulled out RedCon1 from sponsoring the Arnold Classic 2021 earlier this year due to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comments about American citizens’ freedom.
The original federal indictments were based on a raid of Blackstone Labs LLC after a warrant was issued in 2017. Authorities searched the premises of Blackstone Labs and the companies manufacturing partner Ventech Labs. Based on evidence found during the raid, the DOJ announced a 14 count grand jury indictment against Singerman, Braun, and Blackstone Labs LLC.
Aaron Singerman and PJ Braun’s past statements on the Blackstone Labs LLC raid
Generation Iron has interview PJ Braun multiple times and produced a digital series into the life of the bodybuilding business entrepreneur. In one episode of the series, Braun detailed the experience of being raided by the federal government in 2017. You can watch that episode below:
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Aaron Singerman has also spoken with Generation Iron in previous GI Exclusive interviews. In one segment, he details his past relationship with PJ Braun and explains their falling out after the Blackstone Labs LLC raid in 2017. You can also watch that video below right here:
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Aaron Singerman and PJ Braun sentencing and forfeiture
As part of the plea deal, all three defendants have agreed to forfeit proceed for the above mentioned crimes. Aaron Singerman has agreed to forfeit $2.9 million. PJ Braun has agreed to forfeit $3 million as well as an additional $233,000 of certified funds under a warrant from a bank account under Blackstone Labs. Blackstone Labs LLC has agreed to forfeit $1 million. In addition to this, both Aaron Singerman and PJ Braun could face up a maximum sentence of 13 years in prison.
Aaron Singerman’s current supplement company, RedCon1 has attempted to distance itself from the allegations and the newly announced plea agreement. The company claimed in an email statement:
“Redcon1 was founded after the conduct central to the Blackstone case concluded, and we had no involvement in the matters raised in that case.”
Aaron Singerman and PJ Braun re scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2022, in Ft. Lauderdale before U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas of the Southern District of Florida. Judge Dimitrouleas will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This story is still developing and will be updated as more information becomes available. We will also follow up on the results of the sentencing after the January 27, 2022 scheduled court date.
Aaron Singerman: Objectively Arnold Schwarzenegger Would Not Be In The Top 5 Bodybuilders Of All Time
Removing personal taste, Aaron Singerman picks the top 5 bodybuilders of all time.
There are a few ways you can make a top 5 list for sports. One would be to focus on what they accomplished in context of their era. The other is to put all athletes on the same playing field and judge them on pure skill and talent. So putting context and history aside – who would be the top 5 bodybuilders in terms of pure physique? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Aaron Singerman explains why Arnold Schwarzenegger would not be in the top 5 bodybuilders of all time.
Whenever we sit down for an interview with someone from the industry, we always take a moment to ask who are the top 5 greatest bodybuilders of all time? The variety of answers we get is truly insightful and showcases the different perspectives that exist in the sport.
When we spoke with Aaron Singerman, we asked him the same question. Specifically, we didn’t ask him for his personal favorites but instead who he thinks objectively has the best physiques of all time.
Right off the bat Aaron Singerman was able to pick his number one – Ronnie Coleman. Without hesitation he believes that he would win any contest against any era of physiques. But after that first pick – Singerman begins to struggle. He tries to be as analytical as possible. If he were a judge – who else he rank next?
Aaron Singerman ultimately lands on Flex Wheeler at number two followed by Phil Heath, Dorian Yates, and Kevin Levrone. For a moment, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s name comes up. But Singerman quickly dismisses it. While he finds Schwarzenegger to be one of his personal favorite bodybuilders of all time – he thinks there are too many athletes with physique far superior to his.
“If someone was thinking Arnold Schwarzenegger, he’s getting smoked by all these guys,” Aaron Singerman states in our interview. He continues:
“So he’s not… I mean he’d be one of my favorites. Who I would like to look like personally, he’d be up there. But in terms of would Arnold at a stage now compete with Flex Wheeler? No, I mean he’d be demolished.”
Of course, there’s a reason why many would place Arnold Schwarzenegger on the top of their list. It’s due to his contributions to the sport, his presence in pop culture, and his accomplishments for the time. But in the full spectrum of physiques across the years – by today’s standards he would potentially fall short.
Of course, it would be fun to imagine what Arnold Schwarzenegger would look like today had he grown up in this era. With the kind of knowledge, technology, and supplementation of today – would we see some sort of uber Schwarzenegger? Sadly, that’s an idea that can only exist in the imagination.
You can watch Aaron Singerman break down his reasoning for the top 5 bodybuilders of all time in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!