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| BALCO founder pleads guilty | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 15 2005, 08:42 PM (59 Views) | |
| Canucks fan | Jul 15 2005, 08:42 PM Post #1 |
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Numero uno
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http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle....NG-BALCO-DC.XML SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The key figures charged with distributing steroids from the BALCO lab in a scandal that damaged the reputations of top athletes agreed on Friday to plea deals that will result in little or no time in jail. The pleas in U.S. federal court could spare some of the world's top athletes the embarrassment of possible subpoenas or revelations had the case gone to trial in September. It is not known whether prosecutors, in securing the pleas, gained information vital for other steroid cases. "The defendants' guilty pleas to these federal criminal charges are the first of their kind, and demonstrate our commitment to addressing these issues," U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan said in a statement. BALCO owner Victor Conte admitted to one count of conspiracy to distribute steroids and a money laundering count. Other charges will be dropped. Under the agreement the gregarious former bass guitar player turned nutritionist faces four months in prison and another four months home confinement. "I agreed with others to distribute steroids between December 1, 2001, and December 1, 2003, while I was the president of BALCO," Conte, 55, told Judge Susan Illston. "I knew at the time steroid distribution was an unlawful activity." Greg Anderson, 39, personal trainer to baseball slugger Barry Bonds, told the court he had distributed steroids to athletes he did not name and admitted to laundering money. Sentencing guidelines suggest he could end up serving up to six months in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for October. The lawyer for Bonds, who is injured and has not played this season, has said the single-season home run champion took BALCO creams that could have contained steroids, but did so unknowingly out of faith in Anderson, who is also a friend. Conte and Anderson's lawyer said the men did not name names of steroid users or promise to help prosecutors. According to court papers, federal investigators had at one point sought Conte's help in finding others linked to steroids. "Mr. Conte has always accepted responsibility for the conduct reflected in this plea agreement and is looking forward to putting the case behind him," his lawyer Mary McNamara said. Conte's deputy, Jim Valente, 50, pleaded guilty to steroid distribution charges and will not serve time behind bars. A fourth man, Soviet-born track coach Remi Korchemny, did not yet agree to a plea, but his lawyer said he was offered a deal that would not involve time in prison. He is due back in court on July 29. When handing down the indictments in February 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice had said charges in the case could result in many years of imprisonment and stiff fines. The BALCO scandal has badly damaged the reputations of top track and field stars such as Marion Jones and former 100-meter world record holder Tim Montgomery. More than a dozen elite stars have been suspended since the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in 2003 identified BALCO as the source of a previously undetectable steroid. The criminal case has also raised questions about achievements in others sports, such as remarkable home run records by muscular players in baseball over the past decade. Jones has repeatedly denied taking steroids and has filed a defamation suit against Conte, a dispute that had been postponed pending the outcome of the criminal case. I hate those guys. It's BS if they don't get jail time. |
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| Lustre | Jul 16 2005, 10:37 PM Post #2 |
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I'm On Top Of The World
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yeah, all this big investigation and all he gets is a few months. now with him pleading, they might not put Marion and Bonds up to testify. :angry: |
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2:24 PM Jul 11