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The orchestrator of the plot, who devised a operation to supply stealthy banned substances to professional athletes such as baseball icons Giambi and Bonds and Olympic track champion Jones decades ago, has died. His age was 75.

Official Inquiry and Convictions

An official inquiry regarding another company established by Conte, Balco, culminated in the criminal findings of Jones, elite sprint cyclist Tammy Thomas, and former NFL defensive lineman Stubblefield, as well as various support personnel and professionals.

Public Statements and Prison Time

He, who completed several months in a federal facility for illegal drug sales, talked publicly about his famous former clients. He was featured on broadcast media to claim he had seen triple Olympic champion Jones inject herself with growth hormones, but never directly pointing the finger at Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger.

The Mitchell Report

This probe resulted in the volume Game of Shadows. A week after the book's publication in the mid-2000s, the sport's chief Bud Selig appointed political figure George Mitchell to investigate steroids.

He admitted he distributed steroids called “the cream” and “the clear” and coached on their usage to numerous elite athletes, such as Giambi, a star player, the Mitchell report said.

“The illegal use of PEDs poses a serious threat to the integrity of the competition,” the report stated. “Widespread use by competitors of such substances harms the clean players who decline to take them and raises questions about the validity of sporting achievements.”

Mitchell indicated the issues took time to emerge. He said everyone involved in professional baseball in the preceding decades – covering commissioners, management, the union and players – bore partial blame for what he called the PED epoch.

Investigation Origins

The official probe into Balco started when a IRS investigator examining the company’s trash. The defendant ended up pleading guilty to a couple of the 42 charges against him in that year ahead of a court case. Six of the 11 convicted people were caught lying to the court.

Further Legal Actions

The athlete's coach Greg Anderson, admitted guilt to illegal substance sales linked to his Balco connections. He received a sentence to a quarter year in jail and an equal period of house arrest.

The Slugger's Case

The baseball legend was charged with lying to a investigative body about obtaining performance-enhancing drugs and stood trial in 2011. Prosecutors dropped the charges after several years when the government decided not to challenge an overturned ruling to the federal apex court.

A multiple MVP winner and 14-time All-Star outfielder, he concluded his playing days after the that season with 762 home runs, surpassing the record of Aaron's total that Hank Aaron set from 1954-76. Bonds denied intentionally taking banned substances but has never been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Later Years

Conte stated in an interview in a 2010 interview that “yes, athletes cheat to win, but the federal representatives cheat to win, too.” He doubted whether the conclusions in such proceedings were worth the resources.

Following his prison term, he got back in business in the late 2000s by reviving a supplements company he had launched years before called his supplements brand. He set up shop in the same building that was home to Balco in Burlingame, California.

Continued Justification

Conte remained defiant about his central role in distributing custom PEDs to top sports stars. He maintained he simply helped “even the competition” in a world full of doping athletes.

Expert Opinions

To a WADA member, a former participant of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Conte was essentially selling illegal narcotics. “This involves unlawful substance distribution. This refers to using drugs in breach of national statutes,” he stated in the past. “This isn't charity and not a benevolent act. This is drug dealing.”