By: LINDSEY O’NEILL, ESQ. 

Barry Bonds sure can hit ‘em…. but has the all-time Major League Baseball home run record holder finally struck out? Bonds has been indicted by a federal grand jury on felony charges of perjury and obstruction of justice for lying under oath about taking performance-enhancing steroids. Bonds testified before the grand jury in December of 2003 in connection with the years-long investigation of Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BLCO) and steroid use by elite athletes.

Bonds was called as a witness in December 2003 in connection with the grand jury investigation of BALCO’s activities and was granted immunity for his testimony. While prosecutors promised Bonds they wouldn’t charge him with any drug-related counts if he testified truthfully, however, his immunity would not protect him in the case of “perjury, false declaration or otherwise failing to comply with the court’s order,” the indictment clarifies. During his testimony, Bonds repeatedly denied using steroids. However, as noted in the indictment, “[d]uring the criminal investigation [of BALCO], evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances for Bonds and other athletes.” The indictment cites 19 occasions in which Bonds allegedly lied under oath.

Several federal and state statutes criminalize perjury and related false statements. Perjury is a crime because an individual giving testimony has sworn to tell the truth. Bonds is charged under 18 U.S.C. § 1623 (Perjury) and §1503 (Obstruction of Justice). Perjury convictions carry possible prison terms of up to five years, while obstruction of justice can bring a 10-year sentence. If convicted, Bonds could face a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Bonds is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Dec. 7.

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Keyword phrases associated with this article include: criminal law, grand jury indictment, perjury, criminal defense lawyer, steroids, federal crime lawyer, and sentencing.