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Victor Conte, who devised a plan to distribute undetectable PEDs to professional athletes such as MLB legends Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and track and field star Jones decades ago, has died. His age was 75.

Official Inquiry and Convictions

The federal government's probe of another company Conte founded, the Bay Area lab, led to the guilty verdicts of Jones, competitive biker Thomas, and ex-pro football defender Stubblefield, along with trainers, suppliers, chemists, attorneys, and coaches.

Conte's Admissions and Sentencing

Conte, who spent a third of a year in a federal facility for steroid distribution, spoke openly about his well-known clients. He appeared on TV to claim he had witnessed triple Olympic champion Jones inject herself with growth hormones, but consistently avoided pointing the finger at Bonds, the Giants power hitter.

Sport's Official Review

The investigation led to the book Game of Shadows. Shortly after the release of the book in that year, MLB commissioner Selig hired ex-senator Mitchell to look into PED use.

He admitted he sold steroids referred to as certain undetectable drugs and guided their usage to many top performers, including Jason Giambi, a five-time major league All-Star, the Mitchell report said.

Using banned drugs poses a serious threat to the fairness of the game,” the report stated. “Widespread use by athletes of such substances harms the honest athletes who decline to take them and creates doubts about the accuracy of baseball records.”

It was stated the problems didn’t develop overnight. He said all parties in the sport in the prior two decades – covering leaders, management, the union and athletes themselves – bore partial blame for what he termed the doping period.

Investigation Origins

The official probe into the laboratory was initiated by a revenue officer digging through the company’s trash. Conte ultimately admitted guilt to two of the 42 charges he faced in 2005 before a trial. Six of the 11 convicted people were convicted for misleading federal investigators.

Associated Convictions

His fitness instructor Anderson, confessed to drug dealing counts linked to his ties to the lab. He received a sentence to 90 days in prison and an equal period of home confinement.

Bonds' Legal Battles

Bonds was accused of providing false statements to a grand jury about using banned substances and faced a trial in 2011. The government abandoned his case down the line when the government decided not to contest an overturned obstruction of justice conviction to the federal apex court.

A multiple MVP winner and star performer, he ended his career after the 2007 season with a record home run tally, exceeding the record of 755 that Hank Aaron achieved from the 1950s to 1970s. The athlete refuted knowingly using banned substances but has failed to gain entry to the sport's hall of honor.

Conte's Post-Prison Life

Conte remarked to the press in a 2010 discussion that “yes, athletes cheat to succeed, but the officials and lawyers also bend the rules.” He also questioned whether the conclusions in such proceedings merited the work.

Following his prison term, he resumed operations in that year by rebooting a health products venture he had started two decades earlier called Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning or SNAC System. He operated in the identical location that was home to the original company in Burlingame.

Defiant Stance

He stayed unrepentant about his central role in doling out tailored drugs to elite athletes. He argued he simply helped “even the competition” in a arena teeming with rule-breakers.

Outside Views

To an expert, a at the time a member of the WADA, he may as well have been selling hard drugs. “You are talking about blatant drug dealing. It's about substance use in defiance of legal codes,” the doctor remarked in that period. “This isn't charity and it's not altruistic. It's illegal sales.”