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Victor Conte, who devised a operation to supply hard-to-detect performance-enhancing drugs to professional athletes featuring MLB legends Giambi and Bonds and sprinting gold medalist Jones decades ago, has died. He was 75.

Federal Investigation and Criminal Cases

The federal government's inquiry regarding an additional venture set up by him, the Bay Area lab, led to the convictions of Marion Jones, elite sprint cyclist Thomas, and ex-pro football defender Dana Stubblefield, as well as various support personnel and professionals.

Conte's Admissions and Prison Time

He, who spent four months in federal prison for illegal drug sales, spoke openly about his high-profile athletes. He went on broadcast media to assert he had seen triple Olympic champion Marion Jones self-administer with HGH, but consistently avoided incriminating Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger.

The Mitchell Report

The investigation inspired the book Game of Shadows. Shortly after the book's publication in that year, the sport's chief Selig appointed former senate majority leader Mitchell to investigate steroids.

Conte stated he provided steroids referred to as “the cream” and “the clear” and coached on their use to dozens of professional sportspeople, including Jason Giambi, a star player, according to the report.

Using banned drugs poses a serious threat to the honesty of the sport,” the report stated. “Prevalent consumption by athletes of these compounds unfairly disadvantages the those who refuse to cheat who avoid them and creates doubts about the validity of sporting achievements.”

The report noted the issues didn’t develop overnight. He said each participant in baseball in the preceding decades – covering commissioners, management, the union and athletes themselves – shared some responsibility for what he labeled the PED epoch.

How It Began

The government's case into Balco began with a revenue officer searching the business refuse. Conte ultimately admitted guilt to a couple of the numerous counts he faced in the mid-2000s before a trial. Six of the 11 convicted people were convicted for deceiving the court.

Associated Convictions

Bonds’ personal trainer Greg Anderson, admitted guilt to drug dealing counts stemming from his Balco connections. Anderson was sentenced to 90 days in prison and an equal period of home confinement.

His Court Proceedings

The home run king was indicted for lying to a grand jury about receiving banned substances and stood trial in the early 2010s. The government abandoned the charges after several years when the prosecutors opted not to appeal an overturned ruling to the highest court.

A decorated player and frequent All-Star, he ended his career after the 2007 campaign with 762 homers, surpassing the mark of Aaron's total that Aaron established from the 1950s to 1970s. He claimed he did not consciously consuming performance-enhancing drugs but has never been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Conte's Post-Prison Life

Conte remarked to the press in a past conversation that “sportspeople break rules to triumph, but the federal representatives cheat to win, too.” He doubted whether the conclusions in these trials merited the work.

Following his prison term, Conte got back in business in that year by rebooting a nutritional supplements business he had launched previously called his supplements brand. He set up shop in the same building that previously contained Balco in the California city.

Continued Justification

He continued to justify about his major involvement in providing custom PEDs to professional competitors. He claimed he simply helped “balance the odds” in a arena already rife with cheaters.

Critical Perspectives

To a WADA member, a then-member of the WADA, Conte may as well have been distributing hard drugs. “It concerns blatant drug dealing. It's about substance use in defiance of legal codes,” the doctor remarked in the past. “It's not a good deed and it's not altruistic. It's illegal sales.”