Barry Bonds indicted on perjury, obstruction charges

Discussion in 'St. Louis Cardinals' started by CelticKing, Nov 15, 2007.

  1. CelticKing

    CelticKing The Green Monster

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    Barry Bonds indicted on perjury, obstruction charges</p>

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p>

    SAN FRANCISCO -- Baseball superstar Barry Bonds was charged Thursday with perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying when he said he did not use performance-enhancing drugs.</p>

    The indictment, unsealed Thursday by federal prosecutors in San Francisco, is the culmination of a four-year federal probe into whether he lied under oath to a grand jury investigating steroid use by elite athletes.</p>

    The indictment comes three months after the 43-year-old Bonds, one of the biggest names in professional sports, passed Hank Aaron to become baseball's career home run leader, his sport's most hallowed record. Bonds, who parted ways with the San Francisco Giants at the end of last season and has yet to sign with another team, also holds the game's single-season home run record of 73.</p>

    While Bonds was chasing Aaron amid the adulation of San Franciscans and the scorn of baseball fans almost everywhere else, due to his notoriously prickly personality and nagging steroid allegations, a grand jury quietly worked behind closed doors to put the finishing touches on the long-rumored indictment.</p>

    "I'm surprised," said John Burris, one of Bonds' attorneys, "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."</p>

    The indictment charges Bonds with lying when he said that he didn't knowingly take steroids given to him by his personal trainer Greg Anderson. He also denied taking steroids at anytime in 2001 when he was pursuing the single season home-run record.</p>

    "During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing substances for Bonds and other athletes," the indictment reads.</p>

    He is also charged with lying that Anderson never injected him with steroids.</p>

    "Greg wouldn't do that," Bonds testified in December 2003 when asked if Anderson ever gave him any drugs that needed to be injected. "He knows I'm against that stuff."</p>

    </div></p>
     
  2. CelticKing

    CelticKing The Green Monster

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  3. Chutney

    Chutney MON-STRAWRRR!!1!

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    This is beyond stupid. They're indicting him for lying about something they can't prove (if they could, they would've convicted him by now). I honestly can't stand Bonds, but they're making him a scapegoat because they couldn't solve the MLB's steroid problem (something that really wasn't their business in the first place).</p>
     
  4. CelticKing

    CelticKing The Green Monster

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    True and they waited what is it 4 years?</p>

    Even Barkley defended him last night on tnt.</p>
     
  5. 44Thrilla

    44Thrilla cuatro cuatro

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chutney)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

    This is beyond stupid. They're indicting him for lying about something they can't prove (if they could, they would've convicted him by now). I honestly can't stand Bonds, but they're making him a scapegoat because they couldn't solve the MLB's steroid problem (something that really wasn't their business in the first place).</p>

    </div></p>

    You don't know the specifics yet, so you can't call it stupid. They could have gathered more evidence against him recently to bring their case over the top. There is speculation out there that Greg Anderson has finally decided to tesify against Bonds, which is justified since he was let out of jail around the same time of the indictment being released.</p>
     
  6. CelticKing

    CelticKing The Green Monster

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    Yeah but why aren't they going after other players that have used steroids, we all know that its more than what they've reported so far.</p>
     
  7. 44Thrilla

    44Thrilla cuatro cuatro

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticKing)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

    Yeah but why aren't they going after other players that have used steroids, we all know that its more than what they've reported so far.</p>

    </div></p>

    Because, as far I know, none of them lied under oath in a federal investigation.</p>
     
  8. CelticKing

    CelticKing The Green Monster

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    No I meant the leauge.</p>
     
  9. Shapecity

    Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (44Thrilla)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chutney)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

    This is beyond stupid. They're indicting him for lying about something they can't prove (if they could, they would've convicted him by now). I honestly can't stand Bonds, but they're making him a scapegoat because they couldn't solve the MLB's steroid problem (something that really wasn't their business in the first place).</p>

    </div></p>

    You don't know the specifics yet, so you can't call it stupid. They could have gathered more evidence against him recently to bring their case over the top. There is speculation out there that Greg Anderson has finally decided to tesify against Bonds, which is justified since he was let out of jail around the same time of the indictment being released.</p>

    </div></p>

    I heard an interview last night from Greg Anderson's lawyer. He was let out of jail because it's was illegal for them to keep them in jail if they were going to continue with an investigation despite him not testifying. Originally the Feds said the investigation could not continue without his cooperation which is why he was charged with obstruction and sent to prison. However, since the investigation wasn't contingent on his testimony by law he should never have been put in jail.</p>

    He also said the indictment doesn't hold much water.</p>

    Obviously he has a biased opinion of the situation, but if the Fed is overstepping the law this could get very interesting.</p>

    </p>

    </p>
     
  10. Chutney

    Chutney MON-STRAWRRR!!1!

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (44Thrilla)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chutney)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

    This is beyond stupid. They're indicting him for lying about something they can't prove (if they could, they would've convicted him by now). I honestly can't stand Bonds, but they're making him a scapegoat because they couldn't solve the MLB's steroid problem (something that really wasn't their business in the first place).</p>

    </div></p>

    You don't know the specifics yet, so you can't call it stupid. They could have gathered more evidence against him recently to bring their case over the top. There is speculation out there that Greg Anderson has finally decided to tesify against Bonds, which is justified since he was let out of jail around the same time of the indictment being released.</p>

    </div></p>

    I think its stupid in that they're just trying to save face for wasting so much time and money and coming up with nothing. Barry Bonds may very well have committed perjury (in fact, I'm betting that he did), but perjury cases are rare enough as it is and this one's only being done with the public's opinion in mind. Besides, didn't Palmeiro commit perjury as well? I don't remember a case for him.</p>

    </p>
     
  11. 44Thrilla

    44Thrilla cuatro cuatro

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chutney)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

    </p>

    I think its stupid in that they're just trying to save face for wasting so much time and money and coming up with nothing. Barry Bonds may very well have committed perjury (in fact, I'm betting that he did), but perjury cases are rare enough as it is and this one's only being done with the public's opinion in mind. Besides, didn't Palmeiro commit perjury as well? I don't remember a case for him.</p>

    </p>

    </div></p>

    Well, it's my opinion that everybody that breaks the law so blatently should be penalized or punished for it. Certainly there's enough evidence to at least bring this to trial, which makes it worth it, IMO. I also don't understand what took so long, but ultimately I think they are doing the right thing. All the facts need to be brought to the table before we can decide whether or not this was a huge waste of time. Sure, it looks like public opinion is a factor, but I would think this would have came out before he broke Aaron's record if their intentions were as bad as they appear to be. I just can't get myself to believe that the facts and evidence involved in the indictment procedure haven't changed in the recent past in order for them to finally make it official. Something had to put them over the top, some type of evidence besides what's already common knowledge at this point. If not, then I would agree with your stance.</p>

    As for Palmiero, I suppose he did commit perjury, but it was under different circumstances. In Barry's case he got in the way of a federal investigation regarding the wrongdoings of Balco. Palmiero did lie under oath, but it was merely a congressional hearing discussingthe presence of steroids in baseball. He didn't get in the way of anything that the government was trying to accomplish,so hedidn't obstruct justice, which to me is the major reason why Bond's perjury is more significant in the government's eyes.</p>
     
  12. Old Bob

    Old Bob nfl-*****s member

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    Proof that even if you didn't "knowingly" do anything wrong or illegal, if you piss enough people off with your attitude, somebody's going to find a way to take you down.</p>

    I haven't watched or followed baseball since '94 when they cancelled the Series. I must admit I don't have all the facts. But this is more about Barry's bad attitude than it is about "drugs". Or so it seems to this dumb coal miner.</p>
     

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