Exposing Tiger.

Alex Rodriguez

Tony Galea

Canadian sports medicine guru Tony Galea, who treated Alex Rodriguez following the Yankee superstar's hip surgery last year, is the focus of a grand jury investigation in Buffalo, two sources familiar with the case told the Daily News on Tuesday. Federal prosecutors will interview Rodriguez, who they are treating as a witness, separately from the grand jury on Friday, one source said. The grand jury is hearing evidence from prosecutors investigating Galea, the Toronto physician who already faces four drug-related charges in Canada and is at the center of a probe being conducted by the FBI and several other U.S. agencies, according to a source.

Rodriguez will be asked to discuss his relationship with Galea, said one source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. The Yankee third baseman could be called to testify before the grand jury at some point in the investigation.

Rodriguez, who told reporters earlier this month that he is cooperating with agents, rebuffed investigators who traveled to Tampa to question him several times this month, a source said. So the investigators, frustrated by mounting travel expenses, told the baeball superstar that he needed to come to them. One source said Rodriguez has willingly agreed to meet with the authorities, avoiding having to respond to a subpoena compelling him to testify if he continued to delay. The Mets' Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes, as the Daily News first reported, said they have already met with investigators to discuss their dealings with Galea, who one source said has treated 30 to 40 major leaguers and 50 to 60 other elite athletes, including Tiger Woods and Olympic swimmer Dara Torres.

The evidence gathered by investigators points toward authorities pursuing Galea on charges of practicing medicine without a license in the U.S. and on conspiracy charges rather than widespread distribution of drugs. "This is not the BALCO case," one source said. "This is not where they are going, unless they get someone to say Galea gave them human growth hormone." However, there is evidence that suggests that Galea treated patients in the United States without a license, the source said.

There are no federal statutes specifically barring the practice of medicine without a license, but state authorities could charge Galea, who is licensed to practice in Canada, if there is evidence that he worked in their jurisdictions. The Buffalo prosecutors could bring federal charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud. The feds could also charge Galea if the found that he gave patients in this country drugs that are classified as controlled substances.

NY Daily News.

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