According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Justice formally dropped its criminal prosecution of Barry Bonds on Tuesday.
Advertisement
A jury convicted him of obstructing justice because of the answer he gave when he was asked if his personal trainer Greg Anderson ever injected him with steroids.
Per Maura Dolan of the Los Angeles Times, Bonds’ conviction was overturned in April 2015 by a federal appeals court, and it means that federal prosecutors failed to get convictions on every charge brought against the former MVP and Roger Clemens. For almost a decade, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has examined Bonds for obstruction of justice and filed a one paragraph legal document stating it would not ask the Supreme Court to review a lower court’s reversal of his felony conviction. I became a celebrity child with a famous father.
During Bonds’ trial, other ballplayers, including baseball stars such as former Oakland A’s and New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi, were hauled into court to recount their relationship with BALCO as prosecutors tried to prove that Bonds misled the grand jury about steroid use and his ties to BALCO and Anderson. A federal appeals court ruled that decision was invalid in April.
Representatives for Bonds and the Justice Department could not immediately be reached for comment.
Bonds was charged four years after he testified before a grand jury after receiving a grant of immunity.
Bonds was indicted on obstruction of justice and perjury charges in 2007 and convicted on a single count of obstruction in 2011 for his rambling answer on whether he received injections of performance enhancing drugs while playing for the Giants. The court said the answer wasn’t “material” to the sprawling federal investigation into sports doping. He served the home confinement portion while waiting for his appeal to be decided.
Advertisement
Bonds ended his career after the 2007 season with 762 homers, surpassing the record of 755 that Hank Aaron set from 1954-76. Tuesday’s decision to drop the case against him is not likely to help him with Hall of Fame voters. A player must garner at least 75 per cent of the vote to be elected.
