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Victor Conte, who devised a system to supply hard-to-detect PEDs to professional athletes such as baseball icons Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and Olympic track champion Marion Jones in the past, has died. He reached 75 years.

Federal Investigation and Convictions

A national investigation into a separate firm Conte founded, the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (Balco), culminated in the criminal findings of Jones, elite sprint cyclist Thomas, and ex-pro football defender Stubblefield, in addition to various support personnel and professionals.

Open Discussions and Prison Time

Conte, who served several months in federal prison for illegal drug sales, discussed frankly about his well-known clients. He was featured on television to state he had witnessed decorated Olympian Marion Jones use a syringe with growth hormones, but never directly implicating Barry Bonds, the baseball star.

Baseball's Investigation

The federal case led to the publication titled Game of Shadows. A week after the book's publication in 2006, the sport's chief Bud Selig hired ex-senator Mitchell to investigate steroids.

He revealed he sold steroids known as “the cream” and “the clear” and guided their use to dozens of top performers, including Giambi, a multiple-time All-Star, according to the report.

“The illegal use of PEDs represents a major risk to the fairness of the sport,” the Mitchell report concluded. “Prevalent consumption by athletes of these drugs unfairly disadvantages the honest athletes who refuse to use them and raises questions about the legitimacy of baseball records.”

Mitchell indicated the problems were not sudden. Mitchell claimed everyone involved in baseball in the preceding decades – including commissioners, team executives, the union and players – were partly accountable for what he labeled the PED epoch.

Case Inception

The official probe into the company began with a revenue officer digging through the business refuse. Conte ended up pleading guilty to a couple of the numerous counts against him in 2005 ahead of a court case. Several of the individuals found guilty were ensnared for lying to grand jurors.

Associated Convictions

His fitness instructor Anderson, admitted guilt to steroid distribution charges arising from his involvement with Balco. Anderson was sentenced to 90 days in prison and an equal period of restricted movement.

The Slugger's Case

The baseball legend was charged with providing false statements to a investigative body about obtaining performance-enhancing drugs and went on trial in the early 2010s. Prosecutors dropped the charges down the line when the prosecutors opted not to contest an reversed conviction to the federal apex court.

A seven-time National League MVP and 14-time All-Star outfielder, he ended his career after the 2007 season with a record home run tally, surpassing the record of that number that Aaron established from 1954-76. He claimed he did not knowingly using banned substances but has not been voted to the Hall of Fame.

Later Years

He stated in an interview in a 2010 interview that “yes, athletes cheat to win, but the government agents and prosecutors cheat to win, too.” He doubted whether the outcomes in such legal cases merited the work.

After serving his sentence, Conte returned to work in the late 2000s by reviving a health products venture he had founded two decades earlier called his supplements brand. He operated in the identical location that once housed his former lab in Burlingame.

Unapologetic Views

He continued to justify about his major involvement in doling out custom PEDs to professional competitors. He argued he simply helped “balance the odds” in a arena already rife with cheaters.

Expert Opinions

To an expert, a then-member of the WADA, Conte may as well have been selling hard drugs. “You are talking about totally illegal drug trafficking. You are talking about substance use in defiance of legal codes,” Wadler said in 2007. “This is not philanthropy and it's not altruistic. This is drug dealing.”