Government drops obstruction of justice charges against Major League Baseball home-run king

The U.S. Department of Justice will not appeal a court ruling that cleared baseball player Barry Bonds of obstruction of justice in a probe over steroids, which effectively ends the long criminal prosecution of the MLB’s career home run leader, according to Reuters.

In 2013, a 9th Circuit panel upheld the initial ruling, stating that factually true statements that are intended to mislead or evade can lead to an obstruction of justice conviction. The Justice Department declined to ask the Supreme Court to review a reversal of Bonds’ felony conviction from 2011. 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”. In addition, the slugger was convicted on one obstruction charge in 2011, and the jury deadlocked on three perjury charges.

Bonds was called before a grand jury investigating BALCO in 2003.

In his third year on the Hall ballot in 2015, Bonds received 202 votes for 36.8 per cent from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. “I just don’t get into other people’s business because of my father’s situation, you see”.

“Throughout this process my faith in God, along with so many who have supported me, is what has kept me going”, Bonds said in his statement, thanking fans who had backed him and his legal team.

A federal judge ordered Bonds to 30 days of home confinement, two years of probation, 250 hours of community service in youth-related activities and a $4,000 fine after the 2011 trial conviction. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded there was insufficient evidence to back up the charge that his rambling testimony in December 2003 interfered with a federal grand jury probing the BALCO steroids scandal.

In 2007, Bonds retired from baseball with 762 career home runs, which broke the previous record of 755 set by Hank Aaron. A federal appeals court overturned that conviction in April.

“Thank you to all of you who have expressed your heartfelt wishes to me; for that, I am grateful”, Bonds said.