Barry Bonds: Justice Department investigation dropped

The Justice Department declined to ask the Supreme Court to review a reversal of Bonds’ felony conviction from 2011.

Howard Mintz of the San Jose Mercury News added the appeals court found there was “insufficient evidence” to support the charge that Bonds’ testimony inhibited a federal grand jury during the BALCO scandal. Clemens was acquitted in 2012 on all costs that he…

Bonds was charged four years after he testified before a grand jury after receiving a grant of immunity.

The response was in answer to a question as to whether his trainer, Greg Anderson, had ever given him anything to inject himself with. In addition, the slugger was convicted on one obstruction charge in 2011, and the jury deadlocked on three perjury charges. “I was a celebrity child, not just in baseball by my own instincts”. His answer, which included him saying he became a “celebrity child with a famous father”, was ruled to be evasive and “served to divert the grand jury’s attention away from the relevant inquiry of the investigation”. “I just don’t get into other people’s business because of my father’s situation, you see”.

Since his retirement, Bonds has all but completely faded out of the public eye. The court held the answer was not “material” to the intensive federal investigation into the use of performance enhancing drugs in the San Francisco Bay area.

Bonds had been sentenced in 2011 to two years’ probation, 250 hours of community service, a fine of $4,000 and ordered to spend a month of monitored home confinement.

When he retired, Bonds had amassed 762 career home runs, 2,558 walks and 688 intentional walks – all Major League Baseball records – in 22 seasons with the Pirates and Giants. The DOJ said in its court filing that the solicitor general would not appeal the case, meaning the reversal of Bonds’ conviction would stand. Tuesday’s decision to drop the case against him is not likely to help him with Hall of Fame voters.

The clearing of his criminal record could eventually pave the way for his entry into baseball’s Hall of Fame. A player must garner at least 75 per cent of the vote to be elected.