Summary: Barry Bonds has been cleared of obstructing the justice during his elusive grand jury testimony about whether he knew his trainer was giving him steroids.
Barry Bonds has been cleared of obstructing the justice during his grand jury testimony. Bonds was convicted by a jury during the government investigation into steroid use.
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The former San Francisco Giants testimony before the grand jury was called a “rambling, non-responsive answer” that was an obstruction of justice. He was asked a yes-or-no question but instead replied with a long explanation of his childhood and friendship with the accused.
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco overturned the felony conviction, stating that there was a lack of evidence to support the charge. If the ruling stands, Bonds cannot be retried. The prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag can still ask for the case to be reviewed.
The original case was the investigation into the distribution of performance-enhancing drugs by BALCO, the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. Several others tried in the case, including Bonds personal trainer were found guilty and sentenced to prison.
Bonds testimony claimed that he believed his trainer, Greg Anderson, was giving him flaxseed oil and arthritis balm after testing positive for steroids. Anderson refused to testify and was sentenced to a year in prison for contempt of court. Bonds was charged with three counts of perjury, but without Anderson to testify, the charges resulted in obstructing the justice.
Bonds already served his sentence of 30-day house arrest while appealing the conviction.
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Appeals-court-overturns-Barry-Bonds-6217365.php
Photo: dailynexus.com
Haag photo: wikipedia.org
