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S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Barry Bonds

By Last Night in Little Rock, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 06:50:02 PM EST
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by Last Night in Little Rock

The San Francisco federal grand jury investigation Barry Bonds' alleged steroid use disbanded today without indicting him on anything. Last weekend, Sports Illustrated (SI.com) was anticipating his indictment. Even his lawyer was anticipating an indictment, and he apparently went public to soften the blow.

But, the U.S. Attorney announced today that the investigating is continuing with the new grand jury that starts next week.

Kevin Ryan, the U.S. attorney for Northern California, has the option of swearing in a new grand jury to continue hearing the case, and Anderson's subpoena indicates that is what Ryan will do.

In a statement released today, Luke Macaulay, spokesman for Ryan, did not address that question, but said the investigation was far from over.

"Much has been accomplished to date, and we will continue to move forward actively in this investigation -- including continuing to seek the truthful testimony of witnesses whose testimony the grand jury is entitled to hear," he said.

Now, this is really just a matter of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Greg Anderson, Bonds' personal trainer who was jailed for contempt two weeks ago for refusing to testify, was also released from jail on the contempt charge today, but he was immediately subpoenaed for Thursday.

In a sign that the federal government had no intention of letting the matter linger, Greg Anderson, Bonds' personal trainer, was handed a subpoena to appear before a grand jury next Thursday shortly before he walked out of the federal prison in Dublin today, said his friend and an attorney, Paula Canny, who picked him up at the prison. Anderson had been jailed on contempt of court charges for refusing to testify before the grand jury looking into whether Bonds lied when he denied ever knowingly taking performance-enhancing steroids.

Yes, they can do that. It was questioned on MSNBC's "The Countdown" with Keith Olberman this evening whether the government can actually do that, and they can; ask Susan McDougal. Anderson's attorney was quoted as saying that Anderson would never testify.

Olberman mentioned that the U.S. Attorney mentioned that there was some thing that happened that caused them to carry it over. The real question is what would cause that? Could it be as simple that Bonds is attempting to head off the potential perjury charge by testifying again and the government will give him that opportunity?

I'm open to suggestion here, but that is the first thing that crossed my mind.

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    S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Barry Bonds | 17 comments (17 topical)
    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#1)
    by Bob In Pacifica on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 09:31:22 PM EST
    One wonders what they need, other than Greg Anderson, for an indictment. Unless he goes to the American League as a designated hitter, my guess is that this season will be the end of Bonds' career anyway, his massive homer tonight notwithstanding.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#2)
    by Deconstructionist on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 04:36:49 AM EST
    Well, they got a new subpoena to Anderson as he was released, so I guess no long overseas vacation and Bonds will continue to sweat. It would be pretty difficult for Bonds to testify and "fix" his prior statements about steroids without a very unusual deal-- that the government would not take the opportunity while he was under oath to ask about his income from these memorabilia sales, whether he reported the income to his accountant, and it was thus reported in the tax returns he submitted. I don't follow this real closely but it may be as simple as Anderson's testimony is considered crucial. The other key witnesses appear to be a scorned mistress and an angry former friend an business partner, so it's certainly possible the government lacks confidence in the persuasiveness of their testimony due to credibility concerns.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#3)
    by kdog on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 06:18:22 AM EST
    This all seems so odd....I gotta be missing something. Is the State of California really spending untold thousands and thousands of dollars investigating the steroid use of one guy? They have no dangerous criminals to prosecute? Bonds did 'roids...big deal. So did Sosa, McGwire, Palmeiro, Giambi and countless others. Half the league has been on amphetamines since the 50's. Where is the outcry to remove Mickey Mantle from the record books for all the homers he hit hopped up on speed? Very very odd.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#4)
    by jondee on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 06:41:26 AM EST
    The best performance enhancer yet seems to be a case of beer, a dozen hotdogs, and a smoke filled room full of flappers.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#5)
    by peacrevol on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 07:02:30 AM EST
    jose canseco needs his a$$ kicked for starting the whole controversy. but that's beside the point. is it really all that big of a deal if he took steroids? steroids dont really help you hit a baseball. you have to be good enough to hit a 'round ball with a round bat squarely' (in the words of the great ted williams) and consistently or else you wont rack up numbers like that. i know the whole argument of 'you dont want your kids thinking it's ok to take illegal performance enhancers' but at the same time, if canseco and the media and courts hadnt made a big stink about it, the kids wouldnt even know. i think it should have been more or less a mlb problem that they should deal with and leave the senate and the courts out of it. a senate hearing on steroid use in baseball? come on...do they really have nothing better to discuss? if not then why dont we just send them home. to me that's overstepping their boundaries.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#6)
    by kdog on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 07:59:44 AM EST
    Bonds was late to get on the 'roid train to boot. He only started taking the stuff after McGwire and Sosa, inferior ballplayers in the opinion of most, started hitting all the dingers and getting adoring attention from just about everybody...especially the league. To make Bonds the #1 demon, as ornery as he may be, is laughable.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#7)
    by Patrick on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 08:59:14 AM EST
    Interestingly enough, his orneriness may have been caused by steroid use.
    Is the State of California really spending untold thousands and thousands of dollars investigating the steroid use of one guy? They have no dangerous criminals to prosecute?
    So only dangerous criminals should be prosecuted? By that standard Ken Lay should have gotten a free pass. I know that's not what you meant, but I would have a problem if the decision to prosecute was based solely on that criteria.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 09:10:06 AM EST
    So only dangerous criminals should be prosecuted? By that standard Ken Lay should have gotten a free pass.
    Patrick...Ken Lay was dangerous. Maybe not physically dangerous, but definitely financially dangerous. Barry Bonds, on the other hand, is only dangerous towards the hallowed records of baseball history.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#9)
    by Patrick on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 09:16:29 AM EST
    Dave, Id what he did was a crime, he should be investigated and charged if appropriate. That's all, nothing more.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#10)
    by kdog on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 09:47:13 AM EST
    If Bonds was caught with a big batch or 'roids, I'd understand the prosecution. Still disagree...but understand. But as far as I can tell they are after him for simply using and lying about it. Please....drop it allready. From what I've read...Bonds was always ornery, even in his ASU days. He was never well-liked, and that's a big part of this whole thing imo. The 'roids could definitly make it worse...no question. I know you're a "by the book" kinda guy Pat...but even you have to see the pointlessness of all this. If we prosecuted every crime committed, cases would take 20 years to get to trial. Somebody down the line needs to use some common sense.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#11)
    by James DiBenedetto on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 11:35:54 AM EST
    From what I've read...Bonds was always ornery, even in his ASU days. He was never well-liked, and that's a big part of this whole thing imo. The 'roids could definitly make it worse...no question.
    I agree with this. I have no doubt that race plays some part in this, as well as the desire to find an easy scapegoat to punish so that the whole issue of steroids in baseball can be "gotten past." And no doubt there are political considerations. But I think the fact that Barry Bonds is an a**hole, and has been one throughout his career, and has deliberately cultivated and welcomed the perception of himself as an a**hole is problably the biggest factor. That's not fair, and it's not how the criminal justice system ought to function, but it's also human nature. If you're a big enough jerk for long enough, people are going to want to see you brought down, and they will take any opportunity to do so, and will not necessarily look too closely at the means used to do it. I think that either Bonds shouldn't be prosecuted, or a heck of a lot more people should be prosecuted right beside him, but the fact is that in large part he's made his own bed, and he's unlikely to get a whole lot of sympathy from anybody, however unfair or unjust his indictment and prosecution may be.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#12)
    by kdog on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 11:51:37 AM EST
    Good points James. MLB should be investigated more so than any player. I feel there was a cover up. The league knew about the juice when they put McGwire and Sosa on a pedestal when they crushed Maris's record. That was the "wink and nod" to the rest of the players that the league didn't care about roids...as long as arses were in the seats to see all the longball records demolished. Only when Bonds got close and passed the Babe did the league get all holy. Bonds=Scapegoat

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 02:56:59 PM EST
    The issue of whether Barry Bonds has been singled out for special treatment is more complicated than most posters let on. The federal prosecuters had a legitimate interest in investigating BALCO. They seem to have invited all implicated athletes to testify before the grand jury and to have offered all testifying athletes the same immunity deal. Barry Bonds seems to be the only athlete to have denied steroid use. If the federal prosecutors treated Barry Bonds the same as they treated all other athletes involved and Barry Bonds treated the federal prosecutors differently than every other athlete involved, does it make sense to argue that Barry Bonds was singled out by the federal prosecutors?

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#14)
    by Bob In Pacifica on Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 04:24:33 PM EST
    kdog, it's not the state of Cali, it's the feds that are investigating him. Cali doesn't investigate steroids, they elect him governor.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#15)
    by kdog on Sat Jul 22, 2006 at 09:02:25 AM EST
    Good catch Bob...shoulda know right away this had to be a fed case.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#16)
    by squeaky on Sat Jul 22, 2006 at 10:14:57 AM EST
    Cali doesn't investigate steroids, they elect him governor.
    good one Bob! It says it all.

    Re: S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Bar (none / 0) (#17)
    by Dadler on Sat Jul 22, 2006 at 01:23:42 PM EST
    This just posted on ESPN's website: Apparently, the feds got their hands on Bonds' medical records.

    S.F. Grand Jury Disbands Without Indicting Barry Bonds | 17 comments (17 topical)