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Victor Conte, who devised a operation to supply stealthy performance-enhancing drugs to elite sports stars such as baseball icons Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and sprinting gold medalist Jones years back, has died. His age was 75.

Official Inquiry and Criminal Cases

An official investigation into a separate firm set up by him, the Bay Area lab, led to the convictions of Jones, competitive biker Thomas, and former NFL defensive lineman Stubblefield, along with coaches, distributors, a trainer, a chemist and a lawyer.

Conte's Admissions and Prison Time

The Balco founder, who completed several months in a federal facility for dealing steroids, discussed frankly about his famous former clients. He was featured on television to state he had observed decorated Olympian Marion Jones inject herself with human growth hormones, but never directly pointing the finger at Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger.

Sport's Official Review

This probe led to the volume titled Game of Shadows. Shortly after the publication date in the mid-2000s, MLB commissioner Selig appointed political figure George Mitchell to investigate steroids.

He admitted he distributed steroids known as “the cream” and “the clear” and advised on their use to dozens of elite athletes, such as Giambi, a star player, according to the report.

Using banned drugs poses a serious threat to the honesty of the game,” the report stated. “Broad usage by players of such substances harms the honest athletes who decline to take them and raises questions about the legitimacy of sporting achievements.”

It was stated the issues took time to emerge. Mitchell claimed each participant in professional baseball in the previous twenty years – including commissioners, team executives, the players’ association and players – shared some responsibility for what he termed the doping period.

Investigation Origins

The official probe into the laboratory started when a revenue officer examining the business refuse. The defendant eventually confessed to a couple of the 42 charges filed against him in 2005 prior to court proceedings. Six of the defendants sentenced were caught deceiving federal investigators.

Further Legal Actions

The athlete's coach Greg Anderson, admitted guilt to drug dealing counts arising from his involvement with Balco. Anderson was sentenced to three months in incarceration and an equal period of home confinement.

The Slugger's Case

The baseball legend was charged with lying to a investigative body about using banned substances and faced a trial in the early 2010s. The government abandoned his case down the line when the government decided not to challenge an overturned ruling to the federal apex court.

A decorated player and frequent All-Star, he ended his career after the 2007 campaign with 762 homers, breaking the milestone of that number that Hank Aaron achieved from 1954-76. Bonds denied knowingly using PEDs but has never been elected to the Hall of Fame.

After Incarceration

He remarked to the press in a 2010 discussion that “yes, athletes cheat to triumph, but the federal representatives engage in misconduct as well.” He doubted whether the conclusions in these trials justified the effort.

Post-incarceration, he got back in business in the late 2000s by reviving a health products venture he had founded years before called Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning or SNAC System. He set up shop in the identical location that once housed his former lab in Burlingame, California.

Defiant Stance

The controversial figure stayed unrepentant about his key part in providing tailored drugs to top sports stars. He argued he simply helped “balance the odds” in a sports environment teeming with doping athletes.

Expert Opinions

To a WADA member, a then-member of the global anti-doping body, Conte was essentially distributing cocaine or heroin. “It concerns totally illegal drug trafficking. You are talking about drug consumption in defiance of legal codes,” the doctor remarked in the past. “It's not a good deed and it's not altruistic. It's trafficking.”