Federal prosecutors want prison time for former MLB player Barry Bonds

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Former baseball player Barry Bonds

/ AP Photo/George Nikitin

(CBS/AP)SAN FRANCISCO - Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to send former Major League Baseball player Barry Bonds to prison for his April conviction for obstructing a grand jury investigating sports doping.

Court documents detail prosecutors are objecting to a recommendation by a federal probation officer that Bonds get only a probation when he's sentenced on Dec. 16.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports prosecutors recommended a 15-month prison sentence for the former San Francisco Giants' hitter saying he purposely gave misleading answers to a grand jury and evasive testimony about steroids.

The grand jury was investigating a laboratory that distributed performance-enhancing drugs to professional athletes. Prosecutors said in a filing to the judge who will sentence Bonds that his actions were part of a "calculated plan to obfuscate and distract the grand jury from getting to the truth."

They said too that Bonds' sworn claims that he did not take steroids and a human growth hormone were "patently false," even though a jury deadlocked on three charges that he had committed perjury.

"Bonds' pervasive efforts to testify falsely, to mislead the grand jury, to dodge questions, and to simply refuse to answer questions in the grand jury makes his conduct worthy of a significant jail sentence," prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Susan Illston.

More on Crimesider:

June 16, 2011 -Barry Bonds challenges obstruction of justice conviction in steroid case

March 22, 2011 10:44 AM- Barry Bonds perjury trial jury selection under way

2 Comments +

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by slatep December 11, 2011 2:29 PM EST: Let the prosecuters tell us why Bonds ahoud go to jail for lying about using steroids while all the corrupt hi-muckymucks of the banks, Wall Street etc. get rewarded for their crimes with bail-outs and guarantees that these jerks will still be able to collect obscene salaries, bonuses and .

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE.?

Bonds will eventually pay for his steroid use with his life.

Meanwhile, life goes on as usual for the true criminals.; Reply to this comment


by slatep December 9, 2011 3:35 PM EST: If everybody charged with obstruction of justice for lying to the Grand Jury was given prison time; there would not be enough jails to hold them. (This includes Congressmen, Senators, military personnel, etc.)

The US has far greater problems than some sports figure lying to and evading giving answers to the Grand Jury.

Somebody please tell me why we are holding hearings like this (his actions do not have any effect on the general public) when the entire US is being threatened with collapse thanks to our current Federal government (all 545 of them) seem hell-bent on bringing this country to its knees.

It seems like this particular hearing has been going on for years.

I want someone to tell me exactly how much this hearing has cost taxpayers.

Surely the money could have een spent better elsewhere.!!; Reply to this comment

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