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Victor Conte, who engineered a system to provide undetectable performance-enhancing drugs to professional athletes including baseball icons Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and sprinting gold medalist Jones decades ago, has died. He reached 75 years.

Government Probe and Convictions

The federal government's investigation into a separate firm established by Conte, Balco, culminated in the criminal findings of Marion Jones, elite sprint cyclist Thomas, and former NFL defensive lineman Stubblefield, along with coaches, distributors, a trainer, a chemist and a lawyer.

Public Statements and Prison Time

Conte, who served a third of a year in federal prison for steroid distribution, spoke openly about his high-profile athletes. He went on broadcast media to claim he had witnessed triple Olympic champion Jones inject herself with human growth hormones, but consistently avoided pointing the finger at Bonds, the Giants power hitter.

The Mitchell Report

The federal case inspired the book Game of Shadows. A week after the release of the book in 2006, the sport's chief Selig hired former senate majority leader George Mitchell to look into PED use.

Conte stated he sold steroids referred to as certain undetectable drugs and guided their usage to numerous top performers, such as Giambi, a five-time major league All-Star, the Mitchell report said.

“The illegal use of banned drugs is a significant danger to the honesty of the sport,” the findings emphasized. “Prevalent consumption by athletes of these compounds puts at a disadvantage the those who refuse to cheat who decline to take them and creates doubts about the accuracy of historical stats.”

Mitchell indicated the challenges were not sudden. The report emphasized each participant in professional baseball in the prior two decades – covering commissioners, club officials, the players’ association and players – bore partial blame for what he termed the PED epoch.

Investigation Origins

The federal investigation into Balco was initiated by a IRS investigator examining the corporate garbage. The defendant ultimately admitted guilt to a pair of the 42 charges filed against him in 2005 ahead of a court case. Six of the defendants sentenced were convicted for misleading the court.

Associated Convictions

The athlete's coach Greg Anderson, confessed to illegal substance sales linked to his involvement with Balco. He received a sentence to a quarter year in incarceration and three months of restricted movement.

The Slugger's Case

The baseball legend was accused of lying to a federal jury about obtaining banned substances and stood trial in that year. The government abandoned his case after several years when the government decided not to contest an overturned obstruction of justice conviction to the supreme court.

A multiple MVP winner and star performer, Bonds concluded his playing days after the 2007 season with 762 homers, breaking the milestone of that number that Aaron established from 1954-76. The athlete refuted knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs but has not been voted to the Hall of Fame.

Later Years

Conte stated in an interview in a 2010 discussion that “competitors do cheat to triumph, but the officials and lawyers also bend the rules.” He wondered whether the results in such proceedings were worth the resources.

After serving his sentence, Conte returned to work in that year by resuscitating a nutritional supplements business he had started years before called his supplements brand. He set up shop in the identical location that previously contained the original company in Burlingame, California.

Unapologetic Views

The controversial figure stayed unrepentant about his key part in doling out designer steroids to professional competitors. He maintained he simply helped “level the playing field” in a arena already rife with cheaters.

Outside Views

To an expert, a at the time a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Conte may as well have been selling cocaine or heroin. “It concerns blatant drug dealing. You are talking about drug consumption in violation of federal law,” Wadler said in the past. “This is not philanthropy and it's not altruistic. It's illegal sales.”