SAN FRANCISCO—A federal judge on Friday sentenced Barry Bonds, baseball's home-run king, to two months' probation and 30 days' home confinement for obstructing justice during a grand-jury investigation of a company that sold steroids to athletes—a sentence that a prosecutor in the case called a "slap on the wrist."
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Former Major League Baseball player Barry Bonds leaves federal court following a sentencing hearing Friday in San Francisco, Calif.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston delayed the sentence until a higher court rules on Mr. Bonds's appeal of his conviction. Dennis Riordan, a lawyer for Mr. Bonds, said he believed the conviction would be thrown out.
The sentence caps the highest-profile trial in a 10-year federal probe that ensnared athletes in several sports and revealed the use of previously undetected steroids. A number of football and baseball players admitted to using steroids during secret grand-jury proceedings in 2003 related to the investigation of a Bay Area steroids manufacturer.
Federal prosecutors in 2007 charged Mr. Bonds with lying to the grand jury. A criminal jury in April convicted him of obstruction of justice when he responded to questions about his steroid use with non sequiturs and rambling digressions.
The jury failed to reach a verdict on three other charges: that Mr. Bonds lied when he told the jury he never knowingly took steroids or received human growth hormone from his trainer, and that he didn't allow anyone other than his doctor to inject him. Prosecutors decided not to retry him on those counts.
A judge Friday sentenced Barry Bonds, baseball's home-run king, to probation and home confinement for obstructing justice in grand-jury probe into a company that sold steroids to athletes. Justin Scheck has details on The News Hub. Photo: Reuters
Prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Mr. Bonds to 15 months in prison, though the U.S. Probation Office, which recommends sentences in federal cases, suggested he serve probation and no prison time. Judge Illston agreed with the recommendation, citing Mr. Bonds's community service as a reason.
The judge said Mr. Bonds's conviction didn't demand a stiffer sentence. "The jury got it exactly right here: Mr. Bonds made an effort to obstruct justice, but I also find he didn't succeed," she said, since prosecutors eventually convicted the dealers they were investigating.
If his conviction stands, Mr. Bonds would be confined to a home with six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms in Beverly Hills, Calif. The house sits on 2.5 acres and has a swimming pool, according to Zillow Inc., an online real-state firm. Public records show Mr. Bonds bought the house in 2002 for $8.7 million.
During the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella said the sentence was too lenient. Mr. Bonds deserved prison because his misstatements were part of a pattern of behavior that included using performance-enhancing drugs and cheating on his wife, he said.
"He wasn't convicted of that," Judge Illston responded.
A spokesman for the San Francisco U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment.
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