Top trainers Jorge Navarro and Jason Servis entered not guilty pleas to charges related to administering illegal substances to racehorses during an arraignment conducted telephonically Thursday afternoon by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Navarro entered not guilty pleas to two charges of conspiracy to commit drug adulteration and misbranding, and Servis entered a not guilty plea to one charge of the same violation. Another 17 defendants entered not guilty pleas for similar violations during the arraignment, which was conducted telephonically due to the coronavirus pandemic. Navarro appeared on the teleconference along with his two attorneys, but Servis was only represented by counsel. The arraignment was initially scheduled for March 23, but the judge in the case, Mary Kay Vyskocil, adjourned that arraignment in order to allow the defendants and their attorneys additional time to review and prepare paperwork related to the indictments due to the coronavirus disruptions. The 19 individuals appearing Thursday were all named in a wide-ranging indictment unsealed on March 9 alleging that the individuals participated in a scheme to manufacture, acquire, distribute, and administer the illegal medications. Navarro and Servis were the two highest-profile names in Thoroughbred racing to be charged in the indictment. All of the defendants in the indictment were arrested March 9 but were released on bail. However, their passports were confiscated. The case against the defendants was expected to be drawn-out even prior to the coronavirus pandemic disrupting all manner of life in the United States. On the conference call, U.S. attorneys and representatives of the defendants agreed that discovery in the case was expected to take at least six months and that motions and a trial date are far in the future. The government cited wiretapped conversations in its indictment, and it also conducted searches of various barns, manufacturing facilities, and warehouses both prior to and on the date the indictment was unsealed. During those searches, agents confiscated cell phones and computers used by the defendants, and analyses of those devices are continuing, attorneys for the government said on the conference call. When asked by Vyskocil to describe the case in broad terms, Andrew Adams, a U.S. attorney, said on the conference call that “the investigation is ongoing.” In response to a question from the judge related to whether the government planned to add defendants to the case, Adams said: “That is something that we are certainly considering,” adding that it would depend on the results from the ongoing investigation and any plea deals reached prior to a trial starting. After a lengthy discussion with attorneys for the government and the defendants about the discovery process, Vyskocil set June 30 as the next conference to discuss aspects of the case. Navarro and Servis have been summarily suspended in various racing jurisdictions, and their horses have been dispersed to other trainers.