Bonds Trial Update: Guilty Enough
Today, a federal jury convicted former Giant and "home run king" Barry Bonds on one count of obstruction of justice for misleading a grand jury about his use of steroids. The jury could not come to a verdict on the other 3 charges against Bonds, including perjury.
Make no mistake, this verdict is a huge victory for the prosecution. Although the government has been criticized for bringing the case by many criminal defense lawyers, they were wrong. This was a very difficult prosecution because the key witness, Greg Anderson (Bonds' trainer) refused to testify against him. Anderson's testimony could have given the government a conviction on all counts. Instead, the prosecutors had to put their case together with circumstantial proof that could only go so far.
If I was the prosecutor, I would not retry Bonds again on the remaining deadlocked counts. This verdict is enough justice and the government has more dangerous criminals to try. However, I would seek the maximum sentence of 2 years in prison for the newly convicted felon and former home run king.
My name is Christopher Fusco. I am the managing partner of Callahan & Fusco, LLC with offices in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.