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The orchestrator of the plot, who devised a system to supply undetectable performance-enhancing drugs to top competitors including baseball greats Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and Olympic track champion Marion Jones decades ago, has died. He was 75.

Federal Investigation and Legal Outcomes

A national investigation into another company established by Conte, Balco, culminated in the convictions of Marion Jones, competitive biker Thomas, and former NFL defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield, in addition to trainers, suppliers, chemists, attorneys, and coaches.

Open Discussions and Legal Consequences

The Balco founder, who served several months in federal prison for illegal drug sales, discussed frankly about his well-known clients. He appeared on broadcast media to claim he had seen decorated Olympian Jones self-administer with human growth hormones, but always refrained from incriminating Bonds, the baseball star.

Baseball's Investigation

The investigation inspired the publication Game of Shadows. Just days following the book's publication in 2006, baseball Commissioner Selig hired former senate majority leader Mitchell to examine doping in baseball.

Conte stated he provided steroids known as certain undetectable drugs and advised on their use to numerous professional sportspeople, including Giambi, a multiple-time All-Star, according to the report.

“The illegal use of performance-enhancing substances is a significant danger to the honesty of the game,” the Mitchell report concluded. “Broad usage by players of these drugs unfairly disadvantages the honest athletes who refuse to use them and raises questions about the validity of historical stats.”

Mitchell indicated the issues took time to emerge. He said each participant in baseball in the previous twenty years – encompassing leaders, club officials, the representative body and athletes themselves – bore partial blame for what he labeled the PED epoch.

How It Began

The official probe into the laboratory was initiated by a revenue officer digging through the corporate garbage. Conte ended up pleading guilty to a pair of the multiple accusations filed against him in 2005 prior to court proceedings. Several of the 11 convicted people were ensnared for deceiving federal investigators.

Further Legal Actions

His fitness instructor Greg Anderson, admitted guilt to illegal substance sales stemming from his Balco connections. The court gave him to 90 days in incarceration and three months of home confinement.

The Slugger's Case

The home run king was indicted for lying to a federal jury about obtaining banned substances and faced a trial in 2011. Prosecutors dropped the charges after several years when the authorities chose not to appeal an overturned obstruction of justice conviction to the supreme court.

A seven-time National League MVP and 14-time All-Star outfielder, he retired after the 2007 season with a record home run tally, exceeding the record of Aaron's total that Aaron set from his career. Bonds denied knowingly using banned substances but has failed to gain entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Later Years

Conte remarked to the press in a 2010 discussion that “yes, athletes cheat to triumph, but the officials and lawyers also bend the rules.” He wondered whether the conclusions in these trials justified the effort.

Following his prison term, Conte resumed operations in 2007 by reviving a health products venture he had started previously called SNAC System. He located it in the same building that was home to Balco in Burlingame.

Continued Justification

He continued to justify about his major involvement in providing custom PEDs to top sports stars. He claimed he simply helped “balance the odds” in a arena full of doping athletes.

Expert Opinions

To an expert, a then-member of the WADA, Conte may as well have been distributing hard drugs. “This involves blatant drug dealing. You are talking about using drugs in violation of federal law,” the doctor remarked in that period. “This isn't charity and not a benevolent act. It's trafficking.”