Victor Conte, Key Figure in Notorious Sports Performance-Enhancing Drug Controversy, Dies at 75.

The man behind the scheme, who masterminded a system to distribute undetectable banned substances to professional athletes including baseball greats Giambi and Bonds and sprinting gold medalist Marion Jones in the past, has passed away. He was 75.

Official Inquiry and Criminal Cases

The federal government's inquiry regarding another company set up by him, the Bay Area lab, led to the convictions of Jones, elite sprint cyclist Tammy Thomas, and ex-pro football defender Stubblefield, in addition to various support personnel and professionals.

Conte's Admissions and Sentencing

He, who served a third of a year in a federal facility for dealing steroids, spoke openly about his high-profile athletes. He appeared on broadcast media to assert he had observed three-time Olympic medalist Jones use a syringe with HGH, but always refrained from incriminating Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger.

Baseball's Investigation

The federal case inspired the book Game of Shadows. Just days following the publication date in 2006, MLB commissioner Bud Selig hired ex-senator Mitchell to examine doping in baseball.

Conte stated he sold steroids referred to as certain undetectable drugs and coached on their application to dozens of top performers, including Giambi, a five-time major league All-Star, as per the investigation.

Employing banned drugs is a significant danger to the honesty of the competition,” the report stated. “Prevalent consumption by players of such substances puts at a disadvantage the those who refuse to cheat who refuse to use them and leads to skepticism about the legitimacy of baseball records.”

The report noted the issues took time to emerge. The report emphasized everyone involved in baseball in the preceding decades – including commissioners, club officials, the players’ association and players – shared some responsibility for what he called the doping period.

How It Began

The government's case into the company started when a revenue officer digging through the business refuse. Conte eventually confessed to a couple of the 42 charges filed against him in that year prior to court proceedings. Six of the defendants sentenced were caught deceiving grand jurors.

Related Cases

Bonds’ personal trainer Anderson, pleaded guilty to illegal substance sales arising from his involvement with Balco. Anderson was sentenced to 90 days in incarceration and three months of house arrest.

His Court Proceedings

Bonds was charged with deceiving a investigative body about using banned substances and went on trial in 2011. The government abandoned the case down the line when the prosecutors opted not to challenge an overturned ruling to the supreme court.

A seven-time National League MVP and star performer, Bonds ended his career after the 2007 campaign with 762 homers, breaking the mark of that number that Aaron established from the 1950s to 1970s. Bonds denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs but has not been voted to the Hall of Fame.

Conte's Post-Prison Life

Conte told the Associated Press in a past conversation that “sportspeople break rules to succeed, but the officials and lawyers also bend the rules.” He wondered whether the conclusions in such proceedings merited the work.

Post-incarceration, Conte got back in business in that year by rebooting a health products venture he had started previously called SNAC System. He set up shop in the same building that once housed the original company in Burlingame, California.

Defiant Stance

He continued to justify about his major involvement in providing designer steroids to top sports stars. He claimed he simply helped “even the competition” in a sports environment full of doping athletes.

Outside Views

To an expert, a then-member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, he was essentially pushing hard drugs. “You are talking about unlawful substance distribution. This refers to drug consumption in defiance of legal codes,” Wadler said in the past. “It's not a good deed and this is not some do-gooding. This is drug dealing.”