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The man behind the scheme, who engineered a system to distribute stealthy banned substances to professional athletes such as baseball greats Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and sprinting gold medalist Jones in the past, is deceased. His age was 75.

Official Inquiry and Criminal Cases

The federal government's probe of another company Conte founded, Balco, resulted in the convictions of Jones, competitive biker Tammy Thomas, and former NFL defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield, as well as various support personnel and professionals.

Conte's Admissions and Legal Consequences

The Balco founder, who completed four months in federal prison for steroid distribution, spoke openly about his famous former clients. He went on broadcast media to assert he had witnessed triple Olympic champion Marion Jones self-administer with growth hormones, but always refrained from incriminating Bonds, the Giants power hitter.

Baseball's Investigation

The federal case resulted in the volume titled Game of Shadows. Just days following the publication date in 2006, MLB commissioner Bud Selig hired ex-senator George Mitchell to investigate steroids.

He revealed he distributed steroids referred to as “the cream” and “the clear” and advised on their use to numerous professional sportspeople, like Giambi, a multiple-time All-Star, according to the report.

“The illegal use of banned drugs poses a serious threat to the integrity of the competition,” the report stated. “Prevalent consumption by competitors of these compounds harms the those who refuse to cheat who refuse to use them and leads to skepticism about the accuracy of sporting achievements.”

Mitchell indicated the problems didn’t develop overnight. The report emphasized everyone involved in professional baseball in the preceding decades – including commissioners, club officials, the players’ association and athletes themselves – were partly accountable for what he labeled the PED epoch.

Case Inception

The government's case into the company began with a revenue officer searching the company’s trash. Conte ultimately admitted guilt to a pair of the 42 charges filed against him in 2005 prior to court proceedings. Six of the individuals found guilty were caught deceiving federal investigators.

Associated Convictions

Bonds’ personal trainer Greg Anderson, confessed to drug dealing counts arising from his ties to the lab. He received a sentence to 90 days in incarceration and three months of home confinement.

His Court Proceedings

The baseball legend was charged with lying to a grand jury about obtaining banned substances and went on trial in the early 2010s. The government abandoned his case down the line when the prosecutors opted not to challenge an overturned obstruction of justice conviction to the highest court.

A seven-time National League MVP and 14-time All-Star outfielder, Bonds concluded his playing days after the that season with a record home run tally, surpassing the mark of that number that Hank Aaron achieved from the 1950s to 1970s. The athlete refuted intentionally taking PEDs but has not been voted to the Hall of Fame.

Later Years

The former convict stated in an interview in a 2010 interview that “sportspeople break rules to succeed, but the federal representatives engage in misconduct as well.” He wondered whether the outcomes in such proceedings merited the work.

After serving his sentence, he got back in business in 2007 by resuscitating a nutritional supplements business he had started two decades earlier called SNAC System. He located it in the very same place that was home to Balco in Burlingame.

Unapologetic Views

He continued to justify about his major involvement in doling out custom PEDs to elite athletes. He claimed he simply helped “even the competition” in a sports environment teeming with rule-breakers.

Outside Views

To a WADA member, a former participant of the global anti-doping body, Conte was essentially pushing hard drugs. “You are talking about unlawful substance distribution. This refers to using drugs in violation of federal law,” the doctor remarked in that period. “It's not a good deed and not a benevolent act. It's trafficking.”