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The man behind the scheme, who devised a plan to supply undetectable performance-enhancing drugs to professional athletes including baseball greats Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and track and field star Marion Jones decades ago, has died. He was 75.

Federal Investigation and Criminal Cases

The federal government's inquiry regarding a separate firm set up by him, the Bay Area lab, resulted in the convictions of Marion Jones, top track cyclist Tammy Thomas, and retired NFL player Stubblefield, in addition to trainers, suppliers, chemists, attorneys, and coaches.

Public Statements and Sentencing

The Balco founder, who completed four months in federal prison for steroid distribution, talked publicly about his well-known clients. He went on TV to claim he had observed three-time Olympic medalist Marion Jones use a syringe with growth hormones, but always refrained from pointing the finger at Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger.

Baseball's Investigation

The federal case resulted in the volume Game of Shadows. Shortly after the publication date in the mid-2000s, MLB commissioner Selig appointed political figure Mitchell to investigate steroids.

He revealed he distributed steroids called “the cream” and “the clear” and coached on their use to many top performers, such as Jason Giambi, a five-time major league All-Star, according to the report.

Using PEDs poses a serious threat to the integrity of the game,” the report stated. “Widespread use by competitors of these drugs puts at a disadvantage the honest athletes who refuse to use them and creates doubts about the validity of baseball records.”

The report noted the issues took time to emerge. Mitchell claimed each participant in baseball in the preceding decades – encompassing leaders, club officials, the representative body and players – shared some responsibility for what he termed “the steroids era”.

Case Inception

The government's case into the laboratory began with a IRS investigator searching the corporate garbage. The defendant eventually confessed to two of the multiple accusations against him in the mid-2000s ahead of a court case. Six of the individuals found guilty were ensnared for deceiving federal investigators.

Related Cases

The athlete's coach Greg Anderson, confessed to illegal substance sales stemming from his involvement with Balco. The court gave him to 90 days in prison and three months of restricted movement.

His Court Proceedings

Bonds was indicted for lying to a federal jury about using banned substances and faced a trial in 2011. Prosecutors dropped the charges down the line when the prosecutors opted not to contest an overturned ruling to the federal apex court.

A decorated player and star performer, he retired after the 2007 campaign with 762 home runs, exceeding the record of 755 that Hank Aaron established from the 1950s to 1970s. The athlete refuted knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs but has not been voted to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Later Years

He stated in an interview in a 2010 discussion that “competitors do cheat to win, but the government agents and prosecutors engage in misconduct as well.” He also questioned whether the conclusions in such proceedings were worth the resources.

After serving his sentence, Conte resumed operations in 2007 by reviving a supplements company he had founded previously called Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning or SNAC System. He operated in the very same place that previously contained his former lab in Burlingame.

Defiant Stance

He remained defiant about his central role in doling out tailored drugs to professional competitors. He argued he simply helped “balance the odds” in a arena already rife with rule-breakers.

Critical Perspectives

To a WADA member, a at the time a member of the global anti-doping body, he may as well have been pushing hard drugs. “This involves totally illegal drug trafficking. It's about using drugs in breach of national statutes,” Wadler said in 2007. “It's not a good deed and not a benevolent act. It's illegal sales.”