Convicted steroid trafficker Valerio Moscariello linked to Mayor Rob Ford’s health routine

The team that surrounds Toronto Mayor Rob Ford as he seeks to rebound from substance abuse and health issues doesn't look much like the one he had during his fall from grace, with old friends leaving the spotlight, new staff members taking larger roles and a health trainer with a tainted past apparently leading Ford's bid to get in shape.

According to the National Post, Ford is working with trainer Valerio Moscariello in an attempt to get in shape. Ford has said he wants to lose about 40 pounds, apparently convinced his weight is at the centre of a scandal involving the using and purchasing of illegal drugs, drinking and driving and other instances of public drunkenness.

The mayor has said he is seeing health professionals. And according to the Post, Moscariello has confirmed he has been consulting with Ford on his weight-loss strategy.

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On social media, Moscariello posted an image of himself with Ford and wrote, under his alias Valerio Mosca, “Toronto Mayor Rob Ford joins forces to get in shape with “Teambodypro.com” and “#teambodypro Toronto mayor Rob Ford killing him on cardio today! Man on a mission.”

The messages were quickly stripped from social media and Moscariello told the newspaper, "It was a joke picture and has been blown up for no reason. I do wish him luck."

The problem with Moscariello’s involvement is that he has a history of trafficking illegal steroids.

He was arrested in the U.S. and convicted in 2005 of selling various types of steroids over the Internet. He also received a 12-year Canadian coaching ban in 2010 after administering illegal steroids to boxer Amanda Galle

Further troubling is that as recently as Saturday, Moscariello appeared to be in contact with Canadian porn star Nikki Benz, offering to bring his new client out to party with her at a bar.

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Ford has faced a series of calls for him to step down and seek treatment for substance abuse problems since he confessed to smoking crack cocaine and lying about it.

After Ford refused to step down, council voted to severely limit his authority at city hall and shifted much of his office budget and staff to Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly.

Among those who requested a move to Kelly were Ford's chief of staff Earl Provost and policy director Sheila Paxton.

The Toronto Star reports that Ford selected Dan Jacobs as his replacement chief of staff. Jacobs is a former producer for Ford's now-cancelled radio show and has been working as a junior staffer in the mayor's office for about five month. That appears to be the entirety of Jacobs' political experience.

Jacobs is among the eight Ford staffers who remained in his office following the split. Another 11, led by Provost, moved to Kelly's office. Meantime, David Price has reportedly left city hall entirely.

Price is a longtime friend of Ford's who was hired to be his director of logistics earlier this year. Price received an annual salary of $130,000. It was never entirely clear what Price's responsibilities were, although police documents suggest he participated in a search for a video of Ford smoking from a crack pipe.

When asked why Price was originally hired, Doug Ford infamously said, "You can't teach loyalty."