Astros’ Tejada convicted for misleading Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dressed in a defendant’s dark suit instead of an All-Star’s crisp uniform, Miguel Tejada became the first high-profile player convicted of a crime stemming from baseball’s steroids era, pleading guilty Wednesday in federal court to misleading Congress about the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Under a plea agreement with the same prosecutors pursuing a perjury indictment against Roger Clemens, Tejada admitted he withheld information about an ex-teammate’s use of steroids and human growth hormone when questioned by a House committee’s investigators in August 2005.

Tejada — the 2002 American League MVP with the Oakland Athletics and a five-time All-Star shortstop now with the Houston Astros — also acknowledged he bought HGH while playing for the A’s, but said he threw the drugs away without using them. Prosecutors said they have no evidence to contradict that.

Hours later at a Houston press conference, Tejada fought back tears as he apologized for what he called a mistake. He did not take questions.

The misdemeanor can lead to as much as a year in jail. Federal guidelines call for a lighter sentence, and one of his lawyers Mark Tuohey said he expects Tejada to receive probation.

Federal Magistrate Judge Alan Kay set sentencing for March 26. That’s during spring training, but the Astros are not scheduled to play an exhibition game that day.

Kay asked more than once whether the Dominican Republic-born Tejada understood this could affect his immigration status in the United States. “Yes, your honor,” Tejada replied.

A letter sent by prosecutors to his attorneys on Feb. 5 outlining the terms of their plea deal said: “His guilty plea in this case may subject him to detention, deportation and other sanctions at the direction of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”

An agency spokeswoman declined to discuss Tejada’s status and said cases of legal permanent residents convicted of a crime are reviewed individually to determine if deportation is appropriate.

Two immigration lawyers, Cleveland-based David Leopold and Maryland-based Laura Kelsey Rhodes, said Wednesday they would advise a client in Tejada’s situation not to leave the country until it’s clear he cannot be deported for this offense.

As with the pending cases against seven-time Cy Young Award winner Clemens and seven-time MVP and home-run king Barry Bonds — whose trial begins March 2 in San Francisco — Tejada got in trouble not so much for what he did, but what he said.

Tejada’s appearance came two days after his AL MVP successor, Alex Rodriguez, said he took banned substances while playing for the Texas Rangers in 2001-03. That admission came in the aftermath of a Sports Illustrated report that Rodriguez failed a drug test in 2003; he does not face criminal charges.

Even after being chastised by Kay for merely nodding in response to questions, Tejada did not say much in Washington on Wednesday other than “Yes, your honor” or “No, your honor” during the 45-minute hearing.

Tejada, his two lawyers and his baseball agent did not take questions from reporters on their way in or out of the courthouse. The Astros did not comment after the hearing. But the Athletics issued a statement saying: “The Oakland A’s are saddened to learn of Miguel’s admission. We are fully supportive of Major League Baseball’s current policies and its ongoing efforts to eliminate banned substances from the game.”