From Houston Chronicle News, by David Barron and Jose de Jesus Ortiz
Four charged in steroid ring; Indictment names Bonds' trainer
WASHINGTON -- Barry Bonds' personal trainer and a coach for some of the world's top track stars were among four people charged Thursday with running a steroid-distribution ring that provided performance-enhancing drugs to dozens of athletes.
A 42-count indictment returned by a grand jury in San Francisco described in detail how Bay Area Lab Cooperative, a nutritional supplements lab also known as BALCO, allegedly provided the drugs from December 2001 to September 2003 to major-league baseball and NFL players, Olympic-caliber track stars and bodybuilders. No sports figures were named, but Attorney General John Ashcroft left open the possibility some could be charged.
The indictment names Bonds' trainer, Greg F. Anderson, 37, and Remi Korchemny, 71, a top track coach whose roster includes Kelli White, a sprinter who faces forfeiture of world championship gold medals after testing positive for a banned stimulant. "I am saddened by the news of the indictment against my trainer and friend," Bonds said in a statement. "I don't know the state of the evidence and it would be inappropriate to comment on this matter." Also named are Victor Conte Jr., 53, and president and chief executive officer of BALCO, and its vice president, James J. Valente, 49.
Major League Baseball officials declined to comment. In Houston, Astros catcher Brad Ausmus said the notoriety associated with the indictments might have more impact on players using illegal substances than any threat associated with MLB's drug-testing program. "It certainly could scare people if they were involved with (BALCO) or were given supplements from that company," Ausmus said. "In that sense, it might clean up the game.
"The fear of having your name attached to a potentially illegal performance-enhancing drug would probably scare athletes more than the drug-testing policy itself. With (MLB's) drug-testing policy, although they do test, there is a kind of `get out of jail free' card with your first offense." Astros owner Drayton McLane, while declining to comment on the BALCO case, said it was important for federal prosecutors to prosecute anyone involved in using or distributing illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
"I thought it was appropriate to hear about such things from President Bush (at the State of the Union address)," McLane said. "He was associated with Major League Baseball, and it is a sport that he truly loves. This is a problem that needs to be addressed as quickly as we can."
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league has a year-round random testing program for players and imposes immediate suspensions on those who test positive for banned substances. A parade of top athletes, ranging from Bonds to Olympic track star Marion Jones to boxer Shane Mosley, appeared before the grand jury probing BALCO and Anderson from late October to mid-December. Sports leagues have struggled to keep up with the rising use of performance-enhancing drugs and ways of masking them as athletes continue to look for an advantage.
Bonds and other top athletes, such as Raiders linebacker Bill Romanowski, have been boosters of Conte and BALCO. Bonds has been a client since before the 2001 season, when he hit a record 73 home runs. Bonds has been working for years with Anderson, a boyhood friend. Bonds has vehemently denied taking anything illegal. Steroids are compounds that are similar to the male hormone testosterone and are used by athletes to become bigger, stronger and faster than they can through traditional training.
The charges include conspiracy to distribute steroids, possession of human growth hormone, misbranding drugs with intent to defraud and money laundering. The four defendants, each of whom face long prison terms and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines if convicted, have a court appearance today in San Francisco.
The drugs involved included anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, modafinil and tetrahydragestrinone, or THG, a substance the Food and Drug Administration last October called an illegal, untested drug that could pose serious health risks.
The indictment alleges that the conspiracy involved misbranding THG to cover up its true nature and marketed it to athletes as an undetectable steroid.