BALCO's Conte zapped with big fine for lab's unlawful conduct



SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The owner and former medical director of a San Francisco Bay area laboratory will be fined more than $772,000 -- the largest fine ever levied against a licensed lab in California, according to newspaper reports.
Victor Conte, the lab's founder, and Dr. Brian Goldman, its medical director, face the fines, which are more than double the previous top penalty against a lab, as a result of "willful and unlawful conduct," according to a certified letter to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative.
The San Francisco Chronicle and The Washington Post reported that the California Department of Health Services on June 30 sent a "notice of intent to impose sanctions" to Conte and Goldman.
In February, Conte was indicted as the alleged ringleader of a conspiracy to distribute illegal performance-enhancing drugs to elite athletes. He has pleaded not guilty.
"He's going to fight it, and he has a defense to everything, but this is not the time to talk about it," Conte's attorney, Robert Holley, said of the civil charges.
The state health department cited three violations in imposing the fine: operation of a licensed clinical lab without proper personnel, submitting false statements on licensed documents and allowing an unlicensed person to perform complex testing.
Conte has said BALCO performed blood and urine analysis for athletes and prescribed a regimen of legal nutritional supplements to enhance performance.
Goldman has described himself as a close friend of Conte, but has accused the company of identity theft.
The state agreed Goldman's signature was forged, but said it did not absolve him of responsibility in the case.

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