Justice Department drops prosecution of Barry Bonds

The federal government has ended its prosecution of former MLB player Barry Bonds.

The federal government has ended its prosecution of former MLB player Barry Bonds, according to the Associated Press.

Bonds had been convicted of obstruction of justice in 2011 for his rambling testimony given before a grand jury in 2003. The grand jury was convened as part of an investigation into the BALCO steroids scandal. Bonds’s conviction was overturned in April and the U.S. Department of Justice filed notice in court Tuesday that it will not challenge the reversal. 

“The finality of today’s decision gives me great peace,” Bonds said in a statement. “As I have said before, this outcome is something I have long wished for.  I am relieved, humbled and thankful for what this means for me and my family moving forward. Throughout this process my faith in God, along with so many who have supported me, is what has kept me going. Thank you to all of you who have expressed your heartfelt wishes to me; for that, I am grateful.  I’d also like to thank my outstanding legal team for their continued work on my behalf.”

During his 2003 testimony, Bonds was asked whether he received drugs that required a syringe, as related to the BALCO steroids scandal. His answer, which included him saying he became a “celebrity child with a famous father,” was ruled to be evasive and “served to divert the grand jury's attention away from the relevant inquiry of the investigation.”

As a result of the conviction, the MLB all-time home run leader served 30 days of house arrest and paid a $4,000 fine. 

- Dan Gartland and Molly Geary