SAN FRANCISCO – Career home run leader Barry Bonds was indicted today by a federal grand jury on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice.
Bonds, 43, is charged with knowingly and willfully making false material statements, regarding his use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances, while under oath during his testimony before the federal grand jury that was conducting the investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative, known as Balco, and with obstructing justice in the same investigation.
The penalty for perjury is up to five years imprisonment and three years of supervised release. The penalty for obstruction of justice is up to ten years imprisonment and three years of supervised release.
Bonds is scheduled to make his initial appearance Dec. 7 before U.S. Magistrate Judge James.
Matt Parrella, Jeff Nedrow, and Jeff Finigan are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who are prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In August, Bonds surpassed Hank Aaron to set the new career home run record of 762.
Bonds decided to use steroids in an attempt to surpass Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, according to the book Game of Shadows. In 1998, McGwire and Sosa took part in a memorable home run race, both breaking Roger Maris’ single-season record of 61.
Bonds later set the current single season home run record of 73.