Barry Bonds, who holds two of Major League Baseball's most cherished home run records, has been indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury for perjury and obstruction of justice, charged with lying while under oath when he said he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs.
The indictment was unsealed Thursday and culminated a four-year investigation into steroid use by elite athletes. If convicted on all five counts, Bonds could go to prison for up to 30 years. He is to appear before a U.S. magistrate in San Francisco on December 7.
The indictment charged the 43-year-old Bonds with lying when he said that he did not knowingly take steroids given to him by his personal trainer, Greg Anderson. Bonds also denied taking steroids at anytime in 2001 when he was pursuing the season home-run record. Bonds is also charged with lying that Anderson never injected him with steroids.
In August, Bonds captured his sport's most hallowed record by passing Hank Aaron to become baseball's career home run leader. He now has 762 home runs. Bonds also holds the game's single-season home run record of 73. Late in the season, the San Francisco Giants told the seven-time National League MVP they did not want him back next year. He is currently a free agent. But the indictment will likely end his playing career.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
