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Victor Conte, who devised a operation to distribute stealthy performance-enhancing drugs to elite sports stars such as baseball greats Giambi and Bonds and track and field star Jones in the past, has died. His age was 75.

Government Probe and Convictions

The federal government's probe of an additional venture Conte founded, Balco, culminated in the guilty verdicts of Jones, top track cyclist Tammy Thomas, and former NFL defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield, as well as trainers, suppliers, chemists, attorneys, and coaches.

Conte's Admissions and Legal Consequences

Conte, who completed a third of a year in a federal facility for illegal drug sales, spoke openly about his well-known clients. He appeared on television to state he had seen three-time Olympic medalist Marion Jones self-administer with human growth hormones, but always refrained from pointing the finger at Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger.

Sport's Official Review

The investigation inspired the book Game of Shadows. Shortly after the publication date in 2006, the sport's chief Selig appointed political figure George Mitchell to investigate steroids.

He admitted he provided steroids referred to as certain undetectable drugs and guided their usage to dozens of top performers, such as Giambi, a multiple-time All-Star, as per the investigation.

Employing PEDs is a significant danger to the fairness of the competition,” the Mitchell report concluded. “Widespread use by players of these compounds harms the those who refuse to cheat who avoid them and raises questions about the legitimacy of baseball records.”

The report noted the issues were not sudden. Mitchell claimed all parties in professional baseball in the previous twenty years – encompassing leaders, management, the union and players – were partly accountable for what he called the doping period.

How It Began

The government's case into the laboratory began with a tax agent examining the corporate garbage. Conte ended up pleading guilty to two of the 42 charges filed against him in 2005 prior to court proceedings. Six of the individuals found guilty were ensnared for lying to federal investigators.

Associated Convictions

The athlete's coach Greg Anderson, confessed to drug dealing counts stemming from his involvement with Balco. The court gave him to a quarter year in jail and an equal period of home confinement.

His Court Proceedings

The baseball legend was accused of deceiving a federal jury about receiving PEDs and went on trial in the early 2010s. Prosecutors dropped his case after several years when the government decided not to challenge an overturned ruling to the federal apex court.

A multiple MVP winner and star performer, Bonds ended his career after the 2007 season with a record home run tally, breaking the milestone of that number that Aaron achieved from the 1950s to 1970s. The athlete refuted intentionally taking banned substances but has failed to gain entry to the sport's hall of honor.

Conte's Post-Prison Life

He remarked to the press in a 2010 discussion that “yes, athletes cheat to succeed, but the government agents and prosecutors also bend the rules.” He also questioned whether the results in these trials merited the work.

After serving his sentence, Conte returned to work in the late 2000s by reviving a nutritional supplements business he had launched years before called his supplements brand. He set up shop in the same building that once housed his former lab in Burlingame.

Unapologetic Views

Conte continued to justify about his central role in providing tailored drugs to professional competitors. He argued he simply helped “even the competition” in a sports environment full of doping athletes.

Outside Views

To a WADA member, a former participant of the global anti-doping body, he was essentially pushing cocaine or heroin. “You are talking about blatant drug dealing. It's about substance use in breach of national statutes,” the doctor remarked in the past. “This is not philanthropy and this is not some do-gooding. This is drug dealing.”