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Victor Conte, who devised a operation to provide stealthy banned substances to elite sports stars including baseball greats Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and track and field star Jones decades ago, is deceased. He was 75.

Official Inquiry and Convictions

An official inquiry regarding an additional venture established by Conte, Balco, culminated in the criminal findings of Jones, elite sprint cyclist Thomas, and ex-pro football defender Stubblefield, along with trainers, suppliers, chemists, attorneys, and coaches.

Public Statements and Prison Time

The Balco founder, who served a third of a year in federal prison for dealing steroids, spoke openly about his high-profile athletes. He went on TV to assert he had witnessed decorated Olympian Marion Jones self-administer with growth hormones, but consistently avoided pointing the finger at Barry Bonds, the baseball star.

Sport's Official Review

The investigation inspired the volume titled Game of Shadows. A week after the book's publication in that year, the sport's chief Selig brought on ex-senator Mitchell to investigate steroids.

He admitted he distributed steroids referred to as two specific substances and coached on their usage to many elite athletes, including Giambi, a star player, according to the report.

Using PEDs is a significant danger to the honesty of the competition,” the report stated. “Prevalent consumption by players of such substances harms the those who refuse to cheat who avoid them and leads to skepticism about the validity of baseball records.”

The report noted the problems took time to emerge. He said each participant in baseball in the prior two decades – including leaders, club officials, the representative body and players – shared some responsibility for what he termed “the steroids era”.

Investigation Origins

The federal investigation into the company began with a tax agent examining the business refuse. He ended up pleading guilty to a pair of the 42 charges against him in that year ahead of a court case. Half a dozen of the 11 convicted people were ensnared for lying to grand jurors.

Associated Convictions

Bonds’ personal trainer Greg Anderson, confessed to drug dealing counts linked to his Balco connections. The court gave him to three months in incarceration and three months of house arrest.

The Slugger's Case

The baseball legend was charged with providing false statements to a grand jury about using banned substances and went on trial in that year. Prosecutors dropped his case after several years when the authorities chose not to challenge an overturned ruling to the federal apex court.

A seven-time National League MVP and star performer, he ended his career after the that season with a record home run tally, exceeding the record of that number that Aaron established from 1954-76. He claimed he did not intentionally taking PEDs but has never been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

After Incarceration

The former convict told the Associated Press in a 2010 discussion that “yes, athletes cheat to win, but the officials and lawyers also bend the rules.” He wondered whether the conclusions in these trials were worth the resources.

Following his prison term, Conte resumed operations in the late 2000s by resuscitating a nutritional supplements business he had launched two decades earlier called his supplements brand. He operated in the identical location that previously contained Balco in the California city.

Defiant Stance

He stayed unrepentant about his major involvement in doling out designer steroids to elite athletes. He argued he simply helped “balance the odds” in a arena teeming with rule-breakers.

Expert Opinions

To a WADA member, a then-member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, he could be compared to selling cocaine or heroin. “It concerns totally illegal drug trafficking. It's about using drugs in breach of national statutes,” he stated in that period. “It's not a good deed and it's not altruistic. This is drug dealing.”