Bonds’ perjury trial taking shape

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO

Barry Bonds’ former personal trainer is facing prison and a judge admitted a trove of evidence while the admissibility of still more hangs in the balance after a pivotal hearing in federal court Tuesday, three weeks before the slugger’s trial is scheduled to start.

Bonds also renewed his not guilty plea, which was made necessary when prosecutors revised the charges for the third time since the initial indictment was unsealed in November 2007. Bonds is charged with four counts of making false statements to a grand jury and one count of obstruction of justice.

There was little doubt what Bonds’ plea was going to be Tuesday and that the case was going to trial March 21 after Bonds’ legal team and prosecutors last month told U.S. District Judge Susan Illston that there was little chance of a plea agreement.

Likewise, there was no doubt that Bonds’ former personal trainer, Greg Anderson, would tell the judge Tuesday that he has no intention of taking the stand as a government witness during the trial.

Anderson made a similar pledge in 2009 before Bonds’ trial was put on hold until a government appeal was resolved in Bonds’ favor.

Anderson has previously spent more than a year in prison on contempt charges after refusing to testify before the grand jury investigating Bonds.

The judge said that prosecutors and Bonds’ legal team both want Anderson to testify.

She said his testimony would spare his former clients, including several retired major league players, from being called to the witness stand to discuss how he supplied them with steroids.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Ned row said he wants to use that evidence to support their position that Bonds was lying when he claimed “he was unwittingly duped by Mr. Anderson” into believing he was taking legal supplements.

“Much of that testimony would be unnecessary” if he testified, Illston told Anderson.

Illston then told Anderson that she planned to find him in contempt of court and will order him jailed during the duration of the trial, which is expected to last at least two weeks.

Anderson simply nodded his head when the judge asked if he intended to follow through on his vow of silence.

“He’s taking not testifying to the nth degree,” said Mark Geragos, Anderson’s attorney.

Illston ordered Anderson to return to court March 22, when she plans to order him jailed.

After Anderson left the courtroom, the lawyers got down to highly technical arguments over what evidence will be presented to the jury.