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[Definitie:] "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance."
(Wilmore and Costill) 
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2 7 - 0 1 - 2 0 0 5 FBI raids BALCO chief's home
Agents seek clues to IDs of Chronicle sources in scandal
Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada
FBI agents raided the San Mateo home of suspected steroid dealer Victor Conte Wednesday as part of a federal probe into how The Chronicle had obtained federal grand jury testimony for stories about the BALCO sports-doping scandal, informed sources said.
The sources, who asked not to be quoted by name because of the sensitivity of the investigation, said more than a dozen agents arrived before 8 a.m. at the home of Conte, who is BALCO's founder and suspected mastermind of an international steroid conspiracy.
Agents seized Conte's computer and other items, sources said.
The raid was prompted by Chronicle stories last month that reported on the 2003 grand jury testimony of San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds and New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi in the BALCO case, the sources said.
Giambi admitted using banned drugs from BALCO; Bonds acknowledged using BALCO substances that he thought were flax seed oil and arthritis balm. The stories renewed a national debate, leading Major League Baseball to adopt a tougher steroid-testing policy.
Grand jury testimony is taken in secret, and after the stories were published, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston asked the Justice Department to investigate how the newspaper had learned what the athletes said. In Wednesday's raid, the FBI was attempting to find evidence that would identify The Chronicle's sources of information, sources said.
The probe was being directed by the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, according to the sources, apparently because local law-enforcement officials also may be quizzed about the news stories. Thom Mrozek, spokesman for that office, acknowledged the FBI had executed a search warrant but said the warrant was sealed and "nobody in the U.S. Justice Department is at liberty to make any comment on it."
Chronicle Editor Phil Bronstein said the newspaper would not divulge its sources.
"Our response continues to be what it's always been," he said. "We will absolutely protect the integrity and confidentiality of our sources."
Conte's lawyer, Robert Holley, declined to comment on the FBI search. In a story about the raid that was posted on its Web site Wednesday, the San Jose Mercury News quoted an unnamed source as saying the agents also were seeking documents showing that Conte had communicated with the Mercury News, ESPN.com and The Chronicle.
Conte is the founder of the Burlingame-based Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative. He is awaiting trial in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on steroid-conspiracy charges for allegedly providing banned drugs to more than 30 stars of Major League Baseball, NFL football and Olympic track and field. Also indicted in the case are Greg Anderson, Bonds' weight trainer; BALCO Vice President James Valente; and Remy Korechemny, a veteran track coach.
The raid came at a time when sources close to the case said Conte was trying to strike a plea bargain that would allow him to avoid trial. In an appearance last month on the ABC program "20/20,'' Conte confessed that he had distributed banned drugs to a long list of elite athletes, including track and field superstar Marion Jones, world record sprinter Tim Montgomery and former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski. Jones has denied ever taking performance-enhancing drugs and sued Conte for defamation after his televised allegation.
Legal experts said prosecutors would be able to put the video of Conte's TV confession into evidence at the BALCO trial, likely with devastating impact not only on Conte but on his co-defendants as well.
Last week, according to three sources, Conte met with officials from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which enforces tough drug rules for the U.S. Olympic Committee. Conte offered to testify in disciplinary hearings involving track and field athletes accused of using BALCO drugs. Conte was trying to demonstrate his willingness to help the government in cleaning up sports, the sources said.
Feds raid BALCO boss’ home
AP
FBI agents raided the home of alleged steroid dealer Victor Conte and seized e-mail and other records Wednesday as part of an investigation of grand jury testimony leaks in a broad sports-doping scandal, according to newspaper reports.
At least a dozen agents raided Conte’s San Mateo home before 8 a.m., and within four hours seized a computer, cellular phone and lab records belonging to the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, the San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury News reported on their Web sites, each citing sources they did not identify.
The search comes a month after a series of newspaper and online reports about the 2003 grand jury testimony of San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi, and track star Tim Montgomery. Grand jury testimony is supposed to be secret.
According to the reports, Bonds testified to a grand jury that he used a clear substance and a cream given to him by a trainer who was indicted in a steroid-distribution ring, but said he didn’t know they were steroids. Giambi said he injected himself with human growth hormone in 2003 and used steroids for at least three seasons, according to a grand jury transcript reviewed by the Chronicle.
Conte said last month that he distributed performance-enhancing drugs to Montgomery, an Olympic gold medalist. According to the newspapers, agents were also looking for items involving track coaches Trevor Graham of Raleigh, N.C., and John Smith of Los Angeles. FBI agents were also trying to find records to prove that Conte leaked information to journalists.
Conte and his lawyer, Robert Holley, did not immediately respond to phone calls or e-mails late Wednesday.
Conte is awaiting trial in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on steroid-conspiracy charges for allegedly distributing illegal drugs to more than 30 baseball, football and track and field stars. Also indicted are Greg Anderson, Bonds’ weight trainer; BALCO Vice President James Valente; and Remy Korechemny, a veteran track coach.
Speaking last month on the ABC news show “20/20,” Conte said he distributed banned drugs to numerous sports stars, including track and field great Marion Jones and former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski.
The steroid scandal has implicated so many world-class athletes that President Bush mentioned the it in last year’s State of the Union address.
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