SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― Former elite cyclist Tammy Thomas was convicted Friday afternoon of lying to a federal grand jury investigating a Bay Area steroid distribution ring that has implicated some of the biggest stars in baseball, football and track.
Thomas, the first figure connected to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative - or BALCO - to go to trial, shouted at the 12-member San Francisco jury, who found her guilty of three counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. Thomas was acquitted of two counts of perjury.
"I already had one career taken away from me," she yelled at jurors. "Look me in the eye. You can't do it."
Her father, who has sat in the front row of court during the trial, also raised his voice and said, "They can't do it."
During the cyclist's seven day trial, jurors heard testimony that ranged from arcane discussions of human hormone science to detailed and deeply personal descriptions of how Thomas' body apparently changed after she took the substances.
Dr. Margaret Wierman, an endocrinologist at the University of Colorado, testified that when she examined Thomas in 2000, she observed masculine body features.
"My recollection was that when I examined her, she had specific signs of evidence of a full beard" and other features, including male-pattern balding, diminished breasts and unusual patterns of hair on her chest and arms, Wierman said.
She also said she observed Thomas' deep voice, and wondered whether that would reverse itself later.
Thomas was the first figure connected to BALCO to go to trial.
Eight others, including track diva Marion Jones and BALCO founder Victor Conte, have pleaded guilty to various charges involving perjury, drug and money laundering and were given short prison sentences.
The federal government steroids probe has ensnared a number of other
elite athletes, including home run king Barry Bonds and former San Francisco 49er Dana Stubblefield. Investigators are now also looking into whether pitcher Roger Clemens lied when he told Congress he never used performance-enhancing drugs.
Bonds was charged with perjury for allegedly lying to the same grand jury as Thomas about never knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.
Legal experts said Thomas' trial offered Bonds' lawyers a preview of what kind of evidence the slugger will face if his case goes to trial as expected. Two of Bonds' attorneys, for instance, watched the all-time home run leader defecate what appeared to be "a very large brick" upon the delivery of the guilty verdict.
Okay, who wants to take a big house shower with Barroid?
