Baseball Star Barry Bonds Indicted of Perjury

AP Barry Bonds

A federal grand jury has indicted U.S. baseball home-run king Barry Bonds on charges of lying and obstructing justice in an investigation into allegations of steroid use.

The all-time Major League Baseball home run king has long been the focus of a federal probe over suspicion that he lied to an earlier grand jury when he told them he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.

The seven-time Most Valuable Player surged late in his career to break what had long been one of the greatest records in American sports. Although many fans wondered aloud about the source of his power, Bonds has long denied any link to steroids.

Bonds' criminal lawyer did not immediately return a telephone call for comment.

"Bonds is charged with knowingly and willfully making false material statements, regarding his use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances, while under oath during his testimony before the federal grandjury that was conducting the investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative ("Balco"), and with obstructing justice in the same investigation,"
the Justice Department said in a statement.

Bonds passed Hank Aaron to become the American home run king this summer, but his San Francisco Giants chose not to negotiate another year on his contract.

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