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The man behind the scheme, who devised a system to distribute stealthy banned substances to professional athletes including baseball greats Giambi and Bonds and track and field star Marion Jones decades ago, is deceased. He was 75.

Government Probe and Criminal Cases

An official inquiry regarding an additional venture Conte founded, Balco, culminated in the guilty verdicts of Jones, top track cyclist Thomas, and former NFL defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield, in addition to coaches, distributors, a trainer, a chemist and a lawyer.

Conte's Admissions and Prison Time

Conte, who spent several months in a federal facility for illegal drug sales, talked publicly about his high-profile athletes. He appeared on TV to state he had witnessed decorated Olympian Jones inject herself with growth hormones, but never directly incriminating Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger.

Sport's Official Review

The investigation led to the book titled Game of Shadows. Just days following the publication date in 2006, baseball Commissioner Bud Selig brought on ex-senator George Mitchell to investigate steroids.

Conte stated he provided steroids known as two specific substances and coached on their usage to numerous professional sportspeople, like Jason Giambi, a multiple-time All-Star, the Mitchell report said.

Employing performance-enhancing substances poses a serious threat to the integrity of the competition,” the Mitchell report concluded. “Widespread use by competitors of these drugs harms the honest athletes who avoid them and creates doubts about the accuracy of baseball records.”

It was stated the issues took time to emerge. The report emphasized all parties in baseball in the prior two decades – including commissioners, management, the union and players – bore partial blame for what he termed “the steroids era”.

Case Inception

The official probe into Balco was initiated by a tax agent examining the business refuse. Conte eventually confessed to a pair of the numerous counts he faced in 2005 before a trial. Half a dozen of the 11 convicted people were convicted for deceiving the court.

Associated Convictions

The athlete's coach Greg Anderson, confessed to drug dealing counts linked to his ties to the lab. Anderson was sentenced to three months in jail and three months of home confinement.

Bonds' Legal Battles

Bonds was accused of providing false statements to a grand jury about obtaining banned substances and faced a trial in that year. The case was dismissed the charges down the line when the government decided not to challenge an reversed conviction to the highest court.

A multiple MVP winner and frequent All-Star, Bonds ended his career after the 2007 season with a record home run tally, surpassing the mark of Aaron's total that Hank Aaron set from the 1950s to 1970s. He claimed he did not consciously consuming performance-enhancing drugs but has not been voted to the sport's hall of honor.

Later Years

Conte told the Associated Press in a past conversation that “competitors do cheat to win, but the government agents and prosecutors cheat to win, too.” He wondered whether the results in such legal cases justified the effort.

Following his prison term, Conte returned to work in 2007 by rebooting a health products venture he had launched years before called SNAC System. He operated in the very same place that was home to Balco in Burlingame, California.

Continued Justification

The controversial figure stayed unrepentant about his major involvement in doling out tailored drugs to top sports stars. He argued he simply helped “even the competition” in a arena teeming with doping athletes.

Outside Views

To an expert, a at the time a member of the global anti-doping body, he may as well have been pushing illegal narcotics. “This involves totally illegal drug trafficking. You are talking about drug consumption in breach of national statutes,” the doctor remarked in 2007. “It's not a good deed and not a benevolent act. This is drug dealing.”