'Barry Bonds lured players to drug lab'

Baseball home run king Barry Bonds used steroids from a lab that was able to attract other athletes because of his involvement, a federal prosecutor charged on Tuesday as Bonds’ perjury trial began.

But a defense attorney argued that some witnesses have ulterior motives in testifying against the former player. Also, a key witness with potentially damaging evidence against Bonds renewed his refusal to testify in the trial.

Bonds, 46, who has pleaded not guilty to lying about use of performance-enhancing drugs, dressed in a dark suit with a light blue shirt and matching tie and conferred amicably with his team of five attorneys before the trial got under way.

Assistant US Attorney Matthew A. Parrella began by detailing a US Food and Drug Administration investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), whose head pleaded guilty to providing illegal performance enhancing drugs to professional athletes.

The Bonds case is one of the last strands in a lengthy investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports. Doping revelations tarnished the reputation of baseball, known as America’s national pastime.

The charges in the case stem from the player’s 2003 appearance before a US grand jury in which Bonds testified that he did not use steroids or growth hormones, and that his trainer, Greg Anderson, did not inject him with any.

Parrella promised to provide eye-witnesses who saw Anderson injecting Bonds, and evidence of anabolic steroids that were found in Anderson’s home as well as BALCO’s premises.

“You will hear from other Major League Baseball players who became clients because the defendant was a client. And they will testify that they knew what these substances were,” Parrella said.

Bonds also participated actively through a BALCO-related business, which he actively promoted, Parrella charged.

Bonds’ attorney Allen Ruby said two witnesses against Bonds had ulterior motives, including a former girlfriend who Ruby said was unhappy because Bonds broke up with her.

“Mr. Parrella forgot to tell you that the relationship ended in 2003, and it was an extremely unhappy breakup,” Ruby told the court.

Ruby also said witness Steve Hoskins was angry because Bonds ended up a business relationship with him and accused him of forging his signature on sports memorabilia.

An agent for the US Food and Drug Administration later testified about evidence he collected by going through the trash and medical waste discarded by BALCO, as well as the company’s financial records.

Bonds had told a grand jury he did not knowingly use steroids or growth hormones and said he never questioned the flaxseed oil, vitamins, protein shakes and creams that Anderson supplied.

Anderson told the court on Tuesday he refused to testify, even after US District Judge Susan Illston threatened to send him to jail. He was then escorted from the court into the custody of a US marshal. His attorney submitted an argument for his release, which Illston promised to review.

As a member of the San Francisco Giants, Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s 33-year-old career home run record in August 2007, his last season in Major League Baseball. Three months later, a grand jury indicted him for perjury and obstruction of justice.

Bonds also set the single-season home run record with 73 in 2001.

The case in US District Court, Northern District of California is United States of America v. Barry Lamar Bonds, 07-cr-732.