Bensalem Woman Charged With Drugging Horses At Parx Casino

A Bucks County woman has been arrested after authorities say she rigged races at Parx Casino by giving horses performance-enhancing drugs, Attorney General Bruce L. Castor Jr. announced Thursday.

Marian Vega, 25, of Bensalem was charged with one count of rigging a publicly exhibited contest following an investigation by the Office of Attorney General’s Organized Crime Section and Gaming Unit.

According to a criminal complaint, Vega illegally gave Clenbuterol to horses while employed as a groom at Parx Casino and Racing.

Clenbuterol is a controlled therapeutic medication prescribed to horses with respiratory disease, investigators said, but it has the effect of a performance-enhancing drug when administered outside the permissible guidelines.

Authorities did testing to find out that multiple horses had been given the drug "outside of the permissible guidelines." Vega was found in possession of a bottle containing the drug, according to authorities.

“People expect that horse racing not be fixed," Castor said. “The evidence here shakes people’s confidence that equal horses compete on an 'even running field' in these events.”

Vega released from custody after her bail was set at $20,000 unsecured. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 31.

The investigation followed an investigation by the state Horse Racing Commission.