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Victor Conte, who masterminded a operation to distribute undetectable performance-enhancing drugs to professional athletes featuring MLB legends Giambi and Bonds and Olympic track champion Marion Jones years back, has died. His age was 75.

Government Probe and Convictions

The federal government's probe of a separate firm set up by him, Balco, resulted in the guilty verdicts of Jones, top track cyclist Tammy Thomas, and retired NFL player Dana Stubblefield, in addition to trainers, suppliers, chemists, attorneys, and coaches.

Conte's Admissions and Sentencing

Conte, who spent several months in a penitentiary for steroid distribution, discussed frankly about his famous former clients. He appeared on TV to claim he had seen three-time Olympic medalist Marion Jones use a syringe with human growth hormones, but consistently avoided pointing the finger at Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger.

Baseball's Investigation

This probe resulted in the book Game of Shadows. Just days following the publication date in the mid-2000s, MLB commissioner Selig appointed ex-senator George Mitchell to look into PED use.

He admitted he distributed steroids called certain undetectable drugs and advised on their use to numerous top performers, like Giambi, a multiple-time All-Star, as per the investigation.

“The illegal use of banned drugs is a significant danger to the honesty of the game,” the report stated. “Broad usage by players of such substances unfairly disadvantages the clean players who avoid them and creates doubts about the validity of historical stats.”

The report noted the problems took time to emerge. He said each participant in professional baseball in the prior two decades – encompassing commissioners, team executives, the union and players – were partly accountable for what he termed the PED epoch.

How It Began

The official probe into the company started when a tax agent examining the business refuse. He ultimately admitted guilt to two of the numerous counts he faced in that year prior to court proceedings. Half a dozen of the 11 convicted people were ensnared for misleading the court.

Related Cases

Bonds’ personal trainer Anderson, confessed to steroid distribution charges arising from his involvement with Balco. Anderson was sentenced to a quarter year in prison and the same duration of restricted movement.

Bonds' Legal Battles

The home run king was charged with deceiving a federal jury about receiving performance-enhancing drugs and went on trial in the early 2010s. The government abandoned the charges after several years when the authorities chose not to challenge an overturned obstruction of justice conviction to the highest court.

A seven-time National League MVP and frequent All-Star, he concluded his playing days after the that season with a record home run tally, surpassing the record of that number that Aaron established from his career. 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

Conte remarked to the press in a past conversation that “yes, athletes cheat to succeed, but the federal representatives cheat to win, too.” He also questioned whether the conclusions in such legal cases merited the work.

After serving his sentence, Conte returned to work in that year by resuscitating a health products venture he had founded two decades earlier called SNAC System. He operated in the identical location that was home to Balco in Burlingame, California.

Continued Justification

He continued to justify about his major involvement in distributing custom PEDs to elite athletes. He maintained he simply helped “balance the odds” in a sports environment already rife with rule-breakers.

Outside Views

To Dr Gary Wadler, a former participant of the WADA, Conte may as well have been selling cocaine or heroin. “You are talking about blatant drug dealing. This refers to substance use in violation of federal law,” he stated in the past. “This is not philanthropy and this is not some do-gooding. It's illegal sales.”