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Victor Conte, who masterminded a system to supply undetectable banned substances to top competitors such as MLB legends Giambi and Bonds and track and field star Marion Jones decades ago, has died. He was 75.

Federal Investigation and Criminal Cases

A national investigation into an additional venture established by Conte, Balco, culminated in the criminal findings of Jones, competitive biker Thomas, and retired NFL player Stubblefield, along with various support personnel and professionals.

Open Discussions and Prison Time

Conte, who served several months in a federal facility for steroid distribution, discussed frankly about his well-known clients. He went on TV to claim he had witnessed decorated Olympian Jones self-administer with human growth hormones, but always refrained from incriminating Bonds, the Giants power hitter.

Sport's Official Review

The investigation inspired the volume Game of Shadows. A week after the release of the book in 2006, MLB commissioner Bud Selig appointed political figure George Mitchell to look into PED use.

He revealed he sold steroids called “the cream” and “the clear” and guided their use to dozens of top performers, including Giambi, a star player, as per the investigation.

“The illegal use of banned drugs is a significant danger to the integrity of the competition,” the findings emphasized. “Broad usage by players of such substances puts at a disadvantage the honest athletes who refuse to use them and creates doubts about the validity of historical stats.”

Mitchell indicated the issues were not sudden. The report emphasized everyone involved in baseball in the preceding decades – encompassing commissioners, club officials, the union and players – were partly accountable for what he termed the PED epoch.

How It Began

The government's case into Balco started when a IRS investigator examining the business refuse. Conte ultimately admitted guilt to a couple of the numerous counts he faced in that year prior to court proceedings. Six of the 11 convicted people were caught lying to grand jurors.

Associated Convictions

The athlete's coach Greg Anderson, pleaded guilty to illegal substance sales arising from his involvement with Balco. The court gave him to 90 days in jail and an equal period of home confinement.

The Slugger's Case

Bonds was charged with providing false statements to a grand jury about obtaining performance-enhancing drugs and faced a trial in that year. The case was dismissed the case down the line when the authorities chose not to challenge an overturned ruling to the highest court.

A seven-time National League MVP and 14-time All-Star outfielder, he concluded his playing days after the 2007 campaign with a record home run tally, breaking the record of Aaron's total that Hank Aaron achieved from his career. Bonds denied consciously consuming banned substances but has failed to gain entry to the sport's hall of honor.

After Incarceration

He stated in an interview in a 2010 discussion that “yes, athletes cheat to succeed, but the government agents and prosecutors also bend the rules.” He also questioned whether the conclusions in such proceedings justified the effort.

Following his prison term, Conte got back in business in the late 2000s by resuscitating a supplements company he had founded years before called his supplements brand. He located it in the very same place that was home to the original company in Burlingame, California.

Unapologetic Views

Conte stayed unrepentant about his central role in providing tailored drugs to top sports stars. He claimed he simply helped “balance the odds” in a world already rife with cheaters.

Outside Views

To a WADA member, a former participant of the WADA, Conte may as well have been selling hard drugs. “It concerns unlawful substance distribution. This refers to substance use in violation of federal law,” Wadler said in 2007. “It's not a good deed and it's not altruistic. It's trafficking.”