Crime & Safety

Barry Bonds' trainer refuses to testify

Perjury trial begins with prosecution testimony today; trial could last four weeks.

Barry Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson, told a federal judge in San Francisco today that he refuses to testify in the baseball home-run champion's perjury trial.

Anderson answered "No," when U.S. District Judge Susan Illston asked, "Will you testify here today?"

Illston then found Anderson in contempt of court and ordered him into the custody of U.S. marshals, to be jailed for the duration of the trial. Anderson left the Federal Building courtroom escorted by marshals.

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Anderson's attorney, Mark Geragos, said he will appeal the custody order after Illston issues it in writing later today.

Prosecutors had sought to have Anderson as a key witness against Bonds, who is accused of lying when he told a federal grand jury in 2003 that he never received steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs from the trainer.

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Anderson previously spent more than a year in jail for contempt of court for refusing to testify against Bonds before a grand jury investigating the alleged perjury.

Earlier this morning, a federal prosecutor told jurors in his opening statement that Bonds could easily have answered questions truthfully in his 2003 testimony, but didn't.

"All he had to do was tell the truth. That's all. But he couldn't do it," Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella said.

But Bonds' lead attorney, Allen Ruby, said Bonds did tell the truth in his two hours of testimony before the grand jury on Dec. 4, 2003. He said a "word-for-word account" in the testimony transcript will show that to be the case.

"Barry answered every question, he told the truth, he did his best," Ruby said.

Ruby said the transcript will also show that Bonds "provided the grand jury with useful information" for the panel's investigation of the distribution of performance-enhancing drugs by the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO.

Bonds, 46, faces four counts of making false statements and one count obstruction of justice. Among other charges, he is accused of lying when he told the grand jury that he never knowingly received anabolic steroids, human growth hormone or an injection from Anderson.

The trial is expected to last about four weeks and prosecution testimony will begin later today.

By Bay City News


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