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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: steve harris who wrote (353771)	10/5/2007 4:07:47 PM
From: Tenchusatsu	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1573876

Steve, Marion Jones is the first athlete to fall from the BALCO steroid scandal. Check out the part I put in boldface before. Look familiar? news.yahoo.com Jones to plead guilty in steroid case By Daniel Trotta 2 hours, 14 minutes ago NEW YORK (Reuters) - Athletics superstar Marion Jones likely will plead guilty on Friday to lying to federal investigators about her steroid use before the 2000 Olympics, federal law enforcement sources said, which could strip her of the record five medals she won in the Sydney Games. Jones would be the first athlete convicted in connection with the San Francisco-area laboratory BALCO, which is at the center of a doping scandal that has tarnished the reputations of leading athletes in baseball, football and athletics. After years of publicly denying using performance-enhancing drugs, Jones, 31, admitted to it in a letter she sent close family and friends, The Washington Post reported, citing a source familiar with Jones's legal situation. In the letter Jones said she took the steroid known as "the clear" for two years beginning in 1999 but believed it to be flaxseed oil. "I want to apologize to you all for all of this," Jones said in the letter, according to the Post. "I am sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways." The New York Times, citing two lawyers connected with the case, said she was expected to plead guilty to one count of making false statements to federal agents about her use of steroids and one count of making false statements in a check fraud case. She could face three to six months in jail, the news accounts said. Two federal law enforcement sources, each speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed she was expected to plead guilty on Friday, when she was scheduled to appear at U.S. District Court in White Plains, north of New York City. Her longtime personal lawyer, Rich Nichols, could not be reached for comment. RECORD PERFORMANCE IN SYDNEY Jones became the first woman to win five athletics medals at a single Olympics in 2000 when she captured the gold in the 100 and 200 meters and 4x400m relay and the bronze in the long jump and 4x100m relay. The International Olympic Committee in 2004 opened an investigation into allegations that Jones used performance-enhancing drugs. "The information that Marion Jones might provide later on today may prove to be key in moving this case forward," the IOC said in a statement. Australian Olympic chief John Coates said he hoped the IOC would take away her medals. Soon after Jones's dominating performance in Sydney, her reputation came into question as those around her were ensnared in steroids controversies. Her then-husband C.J. Hunter, the 1999 world shot put champion, tested positive for steroids in 2000. Tim Montgomery, the former world record holder in the 100 meters who is the father of one of Jones's children, never failed a doping test but was banned for two years by Court of Arbitration for Sport after evidence showed he had taken the previously undetected designer drug THG that was at the center of the BALCO scandal. Jones's former coach, Trevor Graham, is awaiting trial in San Francisco on allegations he lied to federal investigators. Jones said in the letter it was Graham who gave her "the clear," as THG is known. An initial urine sample from Jones at the 2006 U.S. championships tested positive for the banned blood-boosting drug erythropoietin, or EPO, but she was cleared when a backup sample came back negative. Jones also has been under scrutiny by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in connection with the BALCO case but has never been charged with a doping offense. (Additional reporting by Gene Cherry, Steve Ginsburg, Christine Kearney, Adam Tanner and James Vicini)