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The man behind the scheme, who masterminded a operation to distribute hard-to-detect performance-enhancing drugs to professional athletes featuring baseball greats Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and track and field star Marion Jones in the past, has died. He reached 75 years.

Federal Investigation and Convictions

A national investigation into another company set up by him, the Bay Area lab, led to the criminal findings of Jones, elite sprint cyclist Tammy Thomas, and former NFL defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield, along with various support personnel and professionals.

Public Statements and Legal Consequences

The Balco founder, who spent several months in federal prison for illegal drug sales, discussed frankly about his high-profile athletes. He was featured on TV to claim he had seen triple Olympic champion Jones self-administer with HGH, but always refrained from implicating Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger.

The Mitchell Report

The federal case led to the volume titled Game of Shadows. Shortly after the book's publication in that year, MLB commissioner Selig appointed political figure Mitchell to look into PED use.

He admitted he provided steroids referred to as “the cream” and “the clear” and advised on their use to dozens of professional sportspeople, including Jason Giambi, a star player, according to the report.

Using banned drugs represents a major risk to the integrity of the game,” the findings emphasized. “Prevalent consumption by competitors of such substances harms the honest athletes who avoid them and creates doubts about the accuracy of baseball records.”

It was stated the issues were not sudden. He said each participant in the sport in the previous twenty years – including leaders, team executives, the players’ association and players – shared some responsibility for what he labeled “the steroids era”.

Investigation Origins

The official probe into the laboratory began with a tax agent digging through the business refuse. The defendant eventually confessed to two of the 42 charges he faced in 2005 prior to court proceedings. Half a dozen of the 11 convicted people were caught lying to the court.

Related Cases

Bonds’ personal trainer Anderson, confessed to drug dealing counts linked to his ties to the lab. He received a sentence to 90 days in jail and an equal period of home confinement.

The Slugger's Case

The baseball legend was accused of providing false statements to a investigative body about receiving performance-enhancing drugs and faced a trial in that year. The case was dismissed the charges after several years when the government decided not to appeal an reversed conviction to the highest court.

A multiple MVP winner and 14-time All-Star outfielder, he retired after the 2007 campaign with 762 home runs, surpassing the milestone of Aaron's total that Hank Aaron set from 1954-76. Bonds denied intentionally taking PEDs but has never been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Conte's Post-Prison Life

The former convict told the Associated Press in a past conversation that “yes, athletes cheat to win, but the officials and lawyers engage in misconduct as well.” He also questioned whether the conclusions in these trials justified the effort.

Following his prison term, Conte got back in business in 2007 by rebooting a nutritional supplements business he had started two decades earlier called SNAC System. He set up shop in the very same place that was home to his former lab in Burlingame.

Unapologetic Views

He remained defiant about his major involvement in distributing tailored drugs to elite athletes. He maintained he simply helped “level the playing field” in a arena teeming with doping athletes.

Outside Views

To an expert, a at the time a member of the WADA, he may as well have been pushing cocaine or heroin. “This involves totally illegal drug trafficking. You are talking about using drugs in breach of national statutes,” he stated in 2007. “This isn't charity and this is not some do-gooding. It's illegal sales.”