Concealing business dealings with convict Nick Surick earns seven USTA members significant penalties
March 18, 2025
Harness Racing Update
Types : In the News
The U.S. Trotting Association’s (USTA) board of directors has fined six people and one farm a total of $97,500 — among other sanctions — for what USTA president Russell Williams told HRU involved “concealing” business dealings with incarcerated former trainer Nick Surick.
Surick is currently serving a five-year-and-two-months prison sentence as part of federal horse doping indictments of some 30 people in the standardbred and/or thoroughbred industries. He is currently in the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Lewisburg (PA). His release is scheduled for September, 2026.
“The problem was concealing Surick, not doing business with him,” Williams told HRU in an email. “The purpose of concealment was to either make a deal happen that wouldn’t have happened or get a better price than would’ve been obtained had Surick’s involvement been known.”
At its annual meeting on Sunday (March 9) in Columbus, OH, the USTA board voted to issue the sanctions to the parties judged to have violated USTA rules and/or bylaws.
The board relied upon the results of a nearly year-long probe conducted by the Standardbred Racing Investigative Fund (SRIF), which earlier this year reported its discoveries. The findings of violations resulted from an investigation into misconduct committed in connection with former USTA member Surick. In accordance with USTA Bylaw 8.01, the disciplinary actions may not be appealed.
Carson Morris, a partner in Philadelphia law firm Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads LLP that represents the SRIF, told HRU via email that, “The USTA and SRIF had reason to believe that Nick Surick remained active in the standardbred industry despite his legal troubles and USTA membership lapsing in September 2021. SRIF investigated whether this was true, and our investigation determined that certain USTA members had ongoing relationships with Mr. Surick involving registered standardbreds and may have engaged in misconduct in violation of the USTA’s rule and bylaws.”
