How desperate is the government for Barry Bonds??!!

[salsadancer7]

THIS is overkill and to me, has now become a witchhunt! I understand that Barry Bonds is a steroid freak that has tainted a ton of MLB...blah, blah, blah. But to send 20 agents to raid the house of someone that is not willing to testify is way overboard.... 20 AGENTS??!! Seriously??!! SERIOUSLY??!! With ALL that is going on in the world with terrorism, drug cartels and other things that require ALL the resources possible...20 agents to raid the mother-in-law of a guy that won't talk??!!

You gotta be kidding me....

Federal agents raid home connected to Barry Bonds' trainer

January 29, 2009

An estimated 20 agents from the FBI and IRS today raided the home of the mother-in-law of Greg Anderson, Barry Bonds' former trainer.

"It's the government run amok," attorney Mark Geragos said of the search, which he claimed was "a not-so-transparent attempt to intimidate" Anderson and push him to testify in the player's upcoming perjury trial.

Geragos said the raid resulted in the wrongful seizure of personal items and mementos. "Even the Mafia spares the women and children," the attorney complained.

The agents' search came after federal law enforcement authorities last week subpoenaed Anderson, 44, to appear as a prosecution witness at Bonds' March 2 trial in San Francisco, Geragos said.

Geragos said he received a letter Monday from the U.S. Attorney "demanding to know if Greg would testify." Geragos said he was under no legal burden to respond, so he didn't.

This morning, Geragos learned of the raid at the Redwood City, Calif. home of Madeleine Gestas, where Anderson "has lived on occasion," with his wife Nicole, the attorney said. Personal computers were among the items seized, Geragos said. Anderson was not at the home when the search warrant was executed, Geragos said, but "he's incensed."

"He's never going to do anything to cooperate with these people," the attorney said, predicting that prosecutors will fail if they attempt to imprison Anderson.

Anderson has already spent more than 14 months in prison in two separate terms for failing to testify against Bonds, baseball's all-time home run leader. The trainer established a relationship with Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative founder Victor Conte earlier this decade, a connection that came to light when federal agents raided BALCO's Burlingame headquarters in 2003. Conte ultimately served prison time for steroid distribution and money laundering.

Federal agents raid home connected to Barry Bonds' trainer - Los Angeles Times

 

[Ramy]

I can't believe all the trouble they are going through for this. What a waste of tax payers money!!!!

I don't like the man, can't stand him in fact.

 

[Jimbo]

salsadancer7,
And this surprises you ?

I figured they had already done all that kind of stuff.

Anderson has to have a whole lot more going on, or did have , to go to prison for 14 months for someone else.

 

[stone phillips420]

jeez i say just go after roger

 

[SamCdbs]

Witch hunt? The problem with a "witch hunt" is there are no such things as witches.

This is a liar, drug felon, and cheater hunt. An what a great job they have done. Caught themselves a liar, drug felon, and a cheater. Great job.

The last refuge of the guilty, and their supporters, is the "why are you after me when there are so many (fill in the blank) in the world." The fact is that the government has (or at least had, prior to Jan 20) plenty of resources assigned to fight terrorism, and I doubt OBL is really free becasue 20 street cops in SF spent a day enforceing other laws.

Bonds: Liar, cheat, drugie. .000 BA, 0 HR.

 

[salsadancer7]

Witch hunt? The problem with a "witch hunt" is there are no such things as witches.

This is a liar, drug felon, and cheater hunt. An what a great job they have done. Caught themselves a liar, drug felon, and a cheater. Great job.

The last refuge of the guilty, and their supporters, is the "why are you after me when there are so many (fill in the blank) in the world." The fact is that the government has (or at least had, prior to Jan 20) plenty of resources assigned to fight terrorism, and I doubt OBL is really free becasue 20 street cops in SF spent a day enforceing other laws.

Bonds: Liar, cheat, drugie. .000 BA, 0 HR.

Great job....they have done a TERRIBLE JOB! IF they had done a great job, he would be behind bars by now....so now they have to raid tax payer money because the guy juiced himself to hit alot of home runs....do you want YOUR TAX MONEY paying fro that crap??!! I think the federal government has ALOT more important things to do that to knock down grandma's door with 20 agents....

 

[david1314]

Prime example of Government run amok.

Disgraceful and very much overkill as salsa noted.

 

[salsadancer7]

Prime example of Government run amok.

Disgraceful and very much overkill as salsa noted.

Thank you!:up I mean if they REALLY had some proof on this guy, he would have been in jail already.

 

[vurbano]

Witch hunt? The problem with a "witch hunt" is there are no such things as witches.

This is a liar, drug felon, and cheater hunt. An what a great job they have done. Caught themselves a liar, drug felon, and a cheater. Great job.

The last refuge of the guilty, and their supporters, is the "why are you after me when there are so many (fill in the blank) in the world." The fact is that the government has (or at least had, prior to Jan 20) plenty of resources assigned to fight terrorism, and I doubt OBL is really free becasue 20 street cops in SF spent a day enforceing other laws.

Bonds: Liar, cheat, drugie. .000 BA, 0 HR.

:up:up:up:up

 

[SandraC]

You're mistating the facts.

Bonds was not indicted for using steroids, or for being a bad person. He was indicted for obstruction of justice and perjury. The US government takes lying to the US government very seriously...and Bonds is accused of lying to a federal grand jury.

When they have an upcoming trial they tend to gather evidence so they DON'T waste taxpayer money by coming in unprepared.

Marion Jones spent six months in prison not for using steroids, but for lying to a grand jury about it. Bonds is facing the same thing.

If Bonds is innocent, he should be acquitted. But if he is guilty, he should not be let off because the prosecutors did not do their due diligence and collect evidence.

"If they really had some proof on this guy, he'd be in jail already"

Ugh. Did I really just read that?

Thank goodness we have a legal system that gives the prosecution time to collect evidence, and the defense the opportunity to refute it. You know, like in a trial. In the Soviet Union they would throw you in jail because they thought you did something. Luckily it's not so simple here.


Sandra

 

[salsadancer7]

You're mistating the facts.

Bonds was not indicted for using steroids, or for being a bad person. He was indicted for obstruction of justice and perjury. The US government takes lying to the US government very seriously...and Bonds is accused of lying to a federal grand jury.

When they have an upcoming trial they tend to gather evidence so they DON'T waste taxpayer money by coming in unprepared.

Marion Jones spent six months in prison not for using steroids, but for lying to a grand jury about it. Bonds is facing the same thing.

If Bonds is innocent, he should be acquitted. But if he is guilty, he should not be let off because the prosecutors did not do their due diligence and collect evidence.

"If they really had some proof on this guy, he'd be in jail already"

Ugh. Did I really just read that?

Thank goodness we have a legal system that gives the prosecution time to collect evidence, and the defense the opportunity to refute it. You know, like in a trial. In the Soviet Union they would throw you in jail because they thought you did something. Luckily it's not so simple here.


Sandra

As always, you missed the whole point of the thread just to argue.

This has nothing to do about guilt or innocence and everything to do with ALL the resources being used to get a guy that may have lied to the government. Not lie about terrorism, not lie about spying for another country, not lie about selling arms to another country....but lying on whether he did or did not take steroids at a time when it was not even banned in the Major League for that matter.

In the Soviet Union they would throw you in jail because they thought you did something. Luckily it's not so simple here.

What was it that you just said, oh yeah...."Did I just read that?" You must not read or see the news much.

And I will stop there because I am really trying to NOT make this more politics than sports.

 

[SandraC]

As always, you missed the whole point of the thread just to argue.

This has nothing to do about guilt or innocence and everything to do with ALL the resources being used to get a guy that may have lied to the government. Not lie about terrorism, not lie about spying for another country, not lie about selling arms to another country....but lying on whether he did or did not take steroids at a time when it was not even banned in the Major League for that matter.

In the Soviet Union they would throw you in jail because they thought you did something. Luckily it's not so simple here.

What was it that you just said, oh yeah...."Did I just read that?" You must not read or see the news much.

And I will stop there because I am really trying to NOT make this more politics than sports.

Lots of bluster without saying anything.

Lying to a federal grand jury is lying to a federal grand jury. Marion Jones paid the consequences for that, Bonds might do the same.


Sandra

 

[SamCdbs]

The longer an argument goes, the more likely that somebody with nothing to say will make a bad analogy to a socialist government of the past, be it German National Socialists or Russian Soviet Socialists.

Let review Bonds.

Bonds was born wealthy. Americans, even "poor" Americans can never understand the life of a Dominican, and perhaps some of these Latin players can be understood in their cheating because of that. But Bonds was born not only in America, but to a father who had millions.

Bonds was born with a talent in the top 1/10th of 1% in something that large number of people are willing to pay to watch. Such that he could have been a great honest player.

Bonds decided the cheat. He cheated by commiting 1000s of drug felonies.

Bonds was given immunity before a federal Grand Jury. Nothing he said could be used against him. All he had to do was tell the truth.

He compounded his cheating and drug crimes by lying. He continues to stick to a story that no thinking person can believe. That he had "plausible deniability" and just took pills that he did not know what it was. When in the excelent book, Game Of Shadows, the massive highly schedule dependent and body and mind altering mix of steriods, AIDS drugs, cancer drugs (bought from despirate for money welfare receipients in San Francisco) female fertility drugs, and other things, are outlined.

Nothing he ever did in baseball, therefore, actually happened. He never had a hit in the Majors. Everything he did is a lie. He is a liar, a cheat, and a criminal.

Hopefully, he will die in jail.

 

[salsadancer7]

The longer an argument goes, the more likely that somebody with nothing to say will make a bad analogy to a socialist government of the past, be it German National Socialists or Russian Soviet Socialists.

Let review Bonds.

Bonds was born wealthy. Americans, even "poor" Americans can never understand the life of a Dominican, and perhaps some of these Latin players can be understood in their cheating because of that. But Bonds was born not only in America, but to a father who had millions.

Bonds was born with a talent in the top 1/10th of 1% in something that large number of people are willing to pay to watch. Such that he could have been a great honest player.

Bonds decided the cheat. He cheated by commiting 1000s of drug felonies.

Bonds was given immunity before a federal Grand Jury. Nothing he said could be used against him. All he had to do was tell the truth.

He compounded his cheating and drug crimes by lying. He continues to stick to a story that no thinking person can believe. That he had "plausible deniability" and just took pills that he did not know what it was. When in the excelent book, Game Of Shadows, the massive highly schedule dependent and body and mind altering mix of steriods, AIDS drugs, cancer drugs (bought from despirate for money welfare receipients in San Francisco) female fertility drugs, and other things, are outlined.

Nothing he ever did in baseball, therefore, actually happened. He never had a hit in the Majors. Everything he did is a lie. He is a liar, a cheat, and a criminal.

Hopefully, he will die in jail.

Another one missing the point of the thread. Please show where I have not denied what you are saying??!! What I am saying that WAY TOO MANY SOURCES are being wasted on something as small as this. Nailing his ass to the wall is not gonna make me feel safer to what is going in the world around us. Nailing his ass to the wall will not bring cheaters of MLB come to the sudden realization that "WOW, I think I should stop finding a faster, better way to become a better baseball palyer...". THAT is my arguement does NOT NEED to put all those resources to catch a guy for lying when it has NOTHING to do with out nation defense and all to do with their ego being wounded.

 

[salsadancer7]

Lots of bluster without saying anything.

Lying to a federal grand jury is lying to a federal grand jury. Marion Jones paid the consequences for that, Bonds might do the same.


Sandra

Did they send 20 feds to raid her house or any family members house because of her lying??!! UNTIL you bring something that might...MIGHT resemble that...you are doing nothing but blowing hot air. THAT is the point of my thread ....

 

[Skyhi]

I agree that it seems like overkill, but the feds do not and have never played around. In a way I'm happy to see Barry Bonds treated like any other citizen. You cannot lie to a federal grand jury. Just ask Bill Clinton.

 

[Skyhi]

Did they send 20 feds to raid her house or any family members house because of her lying??!! UNTIL you bring something that might...MIGHT resemble that...you are doing nothing but blowing hot air. THAT is the point of my thread ....

The Feds ALWAYS do whatever they need to do to get a conviction. Bringing in 20 agents is no surprise.....they usually roll pretty deep.

 

[salsadancer7]

I agree that it seems like overkill, but the feds do not and have never played around. In a way I'm happy to see Barry Bonds treated like any other citizen. You cannot lie to a federal grand jury. Just ask Bill Clinton.

That is my point....it IS overkill. ESPECIALLY when it has NOTHING to do with MY security.

 

[Skyhi]

That is my point....it IS overkill. ESPECIALLY when it has NOTHING to do with MY security.

Maybe not directly....

I guess the Gov't could make an arguement that if a potentially uncooperative wtiness knows something about what the next Tim McVeigh is planning, the witness might be more inclined to tell the truth because he knows he'll be dealt with in a severe manner if he lies.....

I know its a stretch, but I think the Fed. Govt likes to send a very strong message to all of us: cooperate truthfully or else.

 

[SandraC]

Lying to a federal grand jury is lying to a federal grand jury. You can't convict people who are guilty of it, but let one person off because he's an athlete.

Sandra