Bonds' former trainer jailed for contempt

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Greg Anderson, Barry Bonds' former personal trainer, was again held in contempt of court on Monday by a federal judge in San Francisco and will be sent back to jail for a third time for declining to testify in front of a grand jury investigating whether the Giants slugger committed perjury nearly three years ago about his alleged steroid use.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup rejected arguments from Anderson's attorneys that testifying again against Bonds and other athletes abrogates his plea bargaining agreement in the original indictments handed down in the case against the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO).
Anderson has now refused on five occasions to testify before federal grand juries investigating Bonds and now faces the prospect of remaining in prison for the 18-month term of the current grand jury, which was seated last month. He has already served 15 days in jail for contempt and three months in prison, plus three months under house arrest, as a result of his plea bargain.
"Sometimes sitting in the cooler for a long time may have a therapeutic effect and may change his mind," Alsup said. "Maybe in 16 months he will change his mind."
Anderson was released from a prison in Dublin, Calif., on July 20, only hours after the last grand jury expired and the U.S. Attorney declined to seek an indictment against Bonds at that point.
Attorneys for Anderson also have said that the government illegally obtained evidence against him by taping a telephone conversation. A lower court ruled against Anderson on that matter, but the issue is currently on appeal.
Anderson was one of five defendants indicted in the BALCO case, and under the terms of his plea bargain, 40 of the original 42 counts were dropped. Anderson is suspected of giving performance-enhancing drugs to Bonds and other athletes as well as keeping charts about their use by each individual. He's considered a key government witness in the continuing investigation.
Eleven days ago, Anderson appeared before the current grand jury sitting in San Francisco and answered basic questions, including his name. But Anderson balked at answering questions about Bonds or any other athlete involved in the probe.
The BALCO case has involved some of the world's top athletes, including Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield of the Yankees, former NFL player Bill Romanowski, and track stars Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones.
Like Bonds, all of the athletes appeared in front of another grand jury in late 2003 and were given immunity to testify during the BALCO investigation. Their testimony was supposed to be sealed, but much of it was leaked to two San Francisco Chronicle reporters who published the information in the newspaper and a subsequent book. Using the material is not a crime, but leaking it is a felony. The newspaper reported that Bonds testified he may have unknowingly used steroid-based creams administered to him by Anderson. Earlier this month, the pair of reporters -- Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams -- were ordered to testify and reveal their sources or also risk going to jail. The newspaper said it would appeal the decision.
 
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