Last guy to leak gov. MLB secrets to reporter got 30 months in prison

""This affected, and infected every aspect of the judicial system," U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White said."

• AP, 7/12/07: "An attorney who admitted leaking the confidential grand jury testimony of Barry Bonds and other athletes to a reporter was sentenced Thursday to two and a half years in prison, by far the harshest penalty to result from the government's sprawling probe of steroids in sports.

Troy Ellerman, 44, pleaded guilty in February to allowing a San Francisco Chronicle reporter to view transcripts of testimony by Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and other athletes embroiled in the steroids investigation. Giambi admitted taking steroids while Sheffield and Bonds testified if they did take performance enhancing drugs, they did so unwittingly.

• After the newspaper published the players' embarrassing accounts after they had been promised confidentiality, the judge overseeing the case recommended that the Department of Justice launch a leak investigation.

Ellerman initially blamed federal investigators for leaking the testimony and argued that the case against his client be tossed out because of government misconduct. He also lied to a judge about not knowing the source of the leaks.

• "This affected, and infected every aspect of the judicial system," U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White said."...

(Reporters who deal in illegal stolen goods to make money are no better than the subjects about whom they report, ie:

• Selena Roberts=Alex Rodriguez, Fainaru Wada=Barry Bonds). sm

Tweet Stumbleupon StumbleUpon