Barry Bonds Indicted In Steroid Probe

All-Time Home Run Leader Faces Perjury And Obstruction Of Justice Charges

(CBS/AP)  Barry Bonds, baseball's home run king, was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice Thursday and could face prison instead of the Hall of Fame for telling a federal grand jury he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs.

The indictment, culminating a four-year investigation into steroid use by elite athletes, charged Bonds with four counts of perjury and one of obstruction of justice.

Bonds has steadfastly denied knowingly using any performance enhancing drugs, reports CBS News chief investigative reporter Armen Keteyian. But according to the indictment, "evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing substances for Bonds and other athletes."

If Bonds does go to trial, prosecutors would likely also cite "evasive and misleading" testimony before a grand jury in December 2003, where the government contends Bonds lied, under oath, at least 19 times about his use of performance enhancing drugs.

"They're going to focus specifically on what Barry Bonds said and why they think they can prove otherwise," said CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen.

If convicted on all five counts, Bonds could go to prison for up to 30 years.

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Read The Indictment

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CBS News has learned defense lawyers for Bonds plan to turn the tables, by accusing the government of misconduct, specially leaking confidential information and falsifying documents.

"Every American should worry about a Justice Department that can't tell the difference between prosecution on the one hand, and persecution on the other," Bonds attorney Michael Rains told Keteyian.

The defense has targeted, in particular, the actions of special agent Jeff Novitzky.

CBS News has also learned that in 2004 the government conducted an investigation into whether the agent's credibility would be at issue if the case against Bonds went to trial. To date, the results of that report remain unavailable.

One witness the government won't have is Bonds' former personal trainer. For nearly a year Greg Anderson sat in jail for refusing to discuss, let alone testify against, his longtime friend.

Yesterday, within hours of the indictment, a federal judge ordered him released from prison.

A Major League Record, With Suspicion of An Asterisk

In August, when the 43-year-old Bonds passed Hank Aaron to become baseball's career home run leader, he flatly rejected any suggestion that this milestone was stained by steroids.

"This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period," Bonds said.

Bonds finished the year with 762 homers, seven more than Aaron, and is currently a free agent. In 2001, he set the season record with 73 home runs.

Bonds could not immediately be reached for comment. One of his attorneys, John Burris, didn't know of the indictment before being alerted by The Associated Press and said he would call Bonds to notify him.

"I'm surprised," Burris said, "but there's been an effort to get Barry for a long time. I'm curious what evidence they have now they didn't have before."

Bonds' defense attorney, Mike Rains, declined comment because he hadn't seen a copy of the indictment.

"However, it goes without saying that we look forward to rebutting these unsupported charges in court," Rains said. "We will no doubt have more specific comments in the very near future once we have had the opportunity to actually see this indictment that took so long to generate."

Bonds is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Dec. 7.

Bonds has never been identified by Major League Baseball as testing positive for steroids.

"I have yet to see the details of this indictment and while everyone in America is considered innocent until proven guilty, I take this indictment very seriously and will follow its progress closely," commissioner Bud Selig said.

[bhappy2-2]

HEY CBS-
Why is there a comment section for this story:
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[name_verify]

Bonds could have squeezed an extra 100 homers out of his career using steroids.

[Krazcarl]

Lets face it the chance to make millions endorsements we might all take a few pills but I do agree he should be taken out of the record books but how many others are sliding? My brother got caught up in steroids bodybuilder could press 400 it showed in his personality.

[thgdriver]

Barry Bonds, baseball''s home run king, NOT ---- *****----

[thgdriver]

Barry Bonds is a great baseball player who probably did not need performance enhancing drugs to begin with.

Need a comparison more resent?

O J Simpson did not need to take the law into his own hands, but he did. Now he is in deep shait.

[thgdriver]

The whole Patriot Football team is next. Damm cheaters!!

It''s very clear now how they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the super bowl. Lousy CHEATERS!!

[thgdriver]

Barry Bonds is a great baseball player who probably did not need performance enhancing drugs to begin with.

Well, we will never know for sure will we? We do know him to be a chronic habitual lier under oath though. Do the crime pay the piper!!

Nixon would have beaten George McGovern to a pulp and did, he did not need to break into the Watergate Hotel. Fact is he did. Do the crime pay the piper.

[realpatriot1]

Major League Baseball the Major League business that knowingly looked the other way while Bonds & Mcquire & Sosa & Gonzalez & Canseco ballooned up along with their home run stats should refund the fans ticket proceeds for the past 10 years.

[cryonbrian]

I even heard that the roids they are talking about gave him better hand and eye coodination! LOL

[agarwal1]

Steroids and Marijuana should be make a must to take before any game...

AI''NT THAT A GOOD IDEA!!
I know you al love thiws idea!

[lucy-in-tx]

Barry Bonds is a great baseball player who probably did not need performance enhancing drugs to begin with.

And it is too bad those kinds of drugs are made so readily available to players who lack that tiny bit of security needed to totally believe in themselves and their natural abilities without having to pump up and become ''super'' size. It is also a sad thing that the human ego is so fragile in so many of us, but that is our nature sometimes.

And it is awful there are greedy ''doctors'' and dealers out there just waiting to push and manipulate an insecure person into using those kinds of drugs. I do hope the person responsible for pushing them is also punished just as harshly, as they dang well should be as this is probably an extremely profitable ''business'' for the dealers and/or doctors because of whom they prey upon.

But Barry, apparently you made the choice to use them in the first place, but no matter the outcome I wish you well and it has always been a pleasure to watch you play... even though I am a lifelong dyed blue DODGERS fan! :)

[agarwal1]

See Berie injecting caught on tape!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y
YjQpFAGUrQ

[aesop2-2009]

Why is so much money being wasted in pursuit of something that I for one find unimportant. Baseball is entertainment who cares what those who play do to themselves. It is not important in the greater scheme of life. If Barry Bonds or others wish to use steroids, so what.

[jetlizhan]

i really hate this for him. i''ve believed him all the way, but i don''t know, something''s just not right. hate to say this, but i think he knowingly took the steroids. what a shame.

[agarwal1]

see it caught on tape
Watch the beating of women on live video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYjQpFAGUrQ

[brianbwb-2009]

"That will be fair to the ones that played honestly, and to Bonds as well."
Posted by adian1

The problem is that none of them played any more "honestly" than Bonds.

[jowand]

"Pat Robertson claims on his web site that through training and his "Age-Defying energy shake", he is able to leg press 2,000 pounds..." [Wikipedia]

I cannot be persuaded that Pat Robertson is five times as strong as Madeleine Albright.

[Robertson is 76, Albright a mere 70]

Posted by Iceman_1960 at 01:16 AM : Nov 16, 2007

Depends what the incline angle is, but then you would have to ask, what is IS?

[adian1-2009]

This is no big deal. Bonds always deserved an asterisk near any mention of his leadership in home runs. If he is found guilty, either he deserves double-asterisks or a full explanation to the effect that his numbers are owed to chemistry as opposed to natural numbers achieved by others in the Hall of Fame. That will be fair to the ones that played honestly, and to Bonds as well.

[tmn]

"his head, in particular, becoming noticeably bigger"

[rudy654-2009]

Of course, as I said earlier, we can all go back to Limbaugh and remember the little pat on the hand he got for doctor shopping. He made a big deal about his DOCTORS being interviewed and that it was a violation of his rights. Apparently, that didn''t stop them from violating Bond''s rights now did it? I knew the hate monger would get away with it, because, well, he is white and rich, and a political favorite. If only he had been some poor white trash then just maybe they would not have thought twice about interviewing all those doctors prescribing illegal medications for him. I love the hypocrisy of our system.