Afro 'athlete' Marion Jones admits to doping

[Whitebear]

Afro 'athlete' Marion Jones admits to doping


For years, Marion Jones angrily denied she was a drug cheat, swearing she was clean and daring anyone to prove otherwise.
Seven years after her triumphs at the 2000 Olympics, the three-time gold medalist has admitted in a recent letter to family and close friends that she used steroids before the Sydney Games, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

She's scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in White Plains, N.Y., on Friday to plead guilty to charges in connection with her steroid use, a federal law enforcement source told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, and would not provide specific details about the plea.

"I want to apologize for all of this," the Post reported Jones saying in her letter, quoting a person who received a copy and read it to the paper. "I am sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways."

Jones said in her letter that she faced up to six months in jail and would be sentenced in three months, according to the newspaper.

The admission also could cost Jones the five medals she won in Sydney, where she was the most celebrated female athlete of the games. She didn't win the five golds she wanted, but she came away with three and two bronzes, and her bright smile and charming personality made her a star.

[The Bobster]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/mo...d_olympia.html

Lawyers trying to keep disgraced Olympian Marion Jones out of jail

BY MICHAEL O'KEEFFE AND TERI THOMPSON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITERS

Wednesday, January 2nd 2008, 4:31 PM


Marion Jones speaks to the press in October after pleading guilty to lying to federal agents about her steroid use.


Marion Jones has suffered enough, according to her lawyers, and she shouldn't have to go to jail for lying to federal authorities investigating steroid distribution and bank fraud.

In a document filed Monday in White Plains' federal court, U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York in White Plains, Jones' lawyers asked the court to give the disgraced Olympian probation instead of prison time.

In October, Jones pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements to federal authorities. Prosecutors say she lied to BALCO investigators when she denied ever taking performance-enhancing drugs. She also acknowledged lying to federal agents in connection with her role in a check-fraud scheme.

Last month, prosecutors filed a presentence memorandum asking a judge to sentence Jones to up to six months in prison.

According to a presentence memorandum filed by Jones' attorneys on Monday, the five-medal winner at the Sydney Olympics should not go to prison because she has accepted responsibility for her actions "without excuse, equivocation or any attempt to shift blame."

The document noted that Jones has "suffered enormous personal shame."

"She has been cast from American hero to national disgrace," it added.

The document quoted letters from friends and relatives who describe Jones' humility, discipline and her approachability. They also cite her "genuine kindness, respect and modesty towards all: and note her devotion and dedication to her two sons, an infant and a 4-year-old.

"Marion is essential to the care of both of her children in every way that a mother can be," the document said. "Her infant son requires her daily nurture. Her 4-year-old also depends on her."

The document also note that Jones pleaded guilty prior to being indicted "freely and voluntarily."

"Six months prior to her plea, Marion admitted to government counsel and investigators in the Southern District of New York check fraud investigation that she had lied to them about the matters set forth in Count Two. ... On April 8, 2007, Marion traveled to New York for a third interview. She affirmatively acknowledged what she admitted to the Court months later in her allocution as to Count Two. She did so without immunity or other promises from the government."

The document goes on to describe Jones' "life-changing experience."

"This part of her story will forever be one of personal tragedy," reads the document. "To be clear, the public scorn, from a nation that once adored her, and her fall from grace have been severe punishments. She has suffered enormous personal shame, anguish and embarrassment. She has been stripped of her gold medals, her accomplishments, her wealth and her public standing."

According to the document, Jones has lost her livelihood and has been ostracized by the world of track and field.

"There clearly is no need here for a term of imprisonment to deter Marion Jones-Thompson who, other than the matter presently before the court, has led a completely law-abiding life, without any blemishes on her record. Nor is any prison term necessary to protect the public from Ms. Jones-Thompson, who poses no threat to the community."

Those arguments are unlikely to stir any sympathy in prosecutors. In its Dec. 21 filing, the government said that when Jones lied about drug use, it was part of an effort to "deflect the attention of the investigation away from herself" and "secure the gains achieved by her use of performance-enhancing substances in the first place.

Her false statements about the bank fraud scheme, meanwhile, "derailed" the investigation, the prosecutors added.

[The Bobster]

http://cbs3.com/topstories/Marion.Jo....2.623481.html

Marion Jones Could Get More Than 6 Months In Jail

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) ― The federal judge who will sentence former Olympic champion Marion Jones is considering punishing her twice - once for lying about her steroid use and once for lying about her role in a check-fraud scheme.

Judge Kenneth Karas served notice Thursday that he might go beyond the six-month maximum prison term suggested in Jones' plea deal, saying he "is not bound by that agreement"

He ordered both sides to advise him by Wednesday on whether he can do that, as well as on whether he can order Jones to serve the two sentences consecutively - one after the other. The sentencing is scheduled for Friday.

Jones pleaded guilty in October. Prosecutors said guidelines called for sentencing her to six months at most, and in papers filed last month they told Karas that anything between no time and six months would be appropriate.

Jones has asked the judge to let her off with probation, saying she has suffered enough with her fall from grace and her loss of five Olympic medals.

In the check-fraud scheme, Jones admitted lying about her knowledge of the involvement of track star Tim Montgomery, the father of her older son, in a scheme to cash millions of dollars worth of stolen or forged checks.

Karas noted the charges came after separate investigations.

"The court recognizes that there is a plea agreement between the parties," he wrote. "The court, however, is not bound by that agreement."

Jones' attorney, Henry DePippo, would not comment beyond saying he would comply with the judge's order.

[awyattmann]

Marion Jones is sentenced to 6 months
JIM FITZGERALD, Associated Press Writer

Marion Jones was sentenced Friday to six months in prison for lying about using steroids and a check-fraud scam, despite beseeching the judge that she not be separated from her two young children "even for a short period of time."

"I ask you to be as merciful as a human being can be," said Jones, who cried on her husband's shoulder after she was sentenced.

The disgraced former Olympic champion was ordered to surrender March 11 to begin her term.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas said he gave her the maximum under the plea deal to send a message to athletes who have abused drugs and overlooked the values of "hard work, dedication, teamwork and sportsmanship."

"Athletes in society have an elevated status, they entertain, they inspire, and perhaps, most important, they serve as role models," Karas said.

Later Friday, Karas was to sentence Jones' former coach, Olympic champion Steve Riddick, who was convicted in the check-fraud scam.

The 31-year-old Jones also was given two years' probation and supervised release, during which she will be required to perform 800 hours of community service.

"As everyone can imagine, I'm very disappointed today," Jones told reporters outside court. "But as I stood in front of all of you for years in victory, I stand in front of you today. I stand for what is right."

"I respect the judge's order, and I truly hope that people will learn from my mistakes," added Jones.

The judge said Jones' community service requirement would take advantage of her "eloquence, strength and her ability to work with kids."

It was her children that worried Jones as she pleaded for a lighter sentence, talking at length about her two boys, including the infant son she's still nursing.

"My passion in life has always been my family," Jones said. "I know the day is quickly approaching when my boys ask me about these current events. I intend to be honest and forthright ... and guide them into not making the same mistakes."

The sentence completes a stunning fall for the woman who was once the most celebrated female athlete in the world. She won three gold and two bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

After long denying she ever had used performance-enhancing drugs, Jones admitted last October she lied to federal investigators in November 2003, acknowledging she took the designer steroid "the clear" from September 2000 to July 2001. "The clear" has been linked to BALCO, the lab at the center of the steroids scandal in professional sports.

She also admitted lying about her knowledge of the involvement of Tim Montgomery, the father of her older son Monty, in a scheme to cash millions of dollars worth of stolen or forged checks. Montgomery and several others have been convicted in that scam.

"The revelation that one of the sport's biggest stars took performance-enhancing drugs and repeatedly lied about it, in addition to being a party to fraud, has no silver lining," USA Track & Field president Bill Roe and CEO Craig Masback said in a statement. "But, it is a vivid morality play that graphically illustrates the wages of cheating in any facet of life, on or off the track."

After her guilty pleas last October, Jones made an apologetic and teary-eyed statement outside court, saying, "It's with a great amount of shame that I stand before you and tell you that I have betrayed your trust."

"I have been dishonest, and you have the right to be angry with me," she added. "I have let (my family) down. I have let my country down, and I have let myself down. ... I want to ask for your forgiveness for my actions, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative founder Victor Conte, who served four months in prison after pleading guilty to operating a steroids distribution ring, said Friday he felt sad for Jones and her family.

"Marion did make some very poor choices, and she does deserve serious consequences. I certainly don't condone her repeated lies," Conte said in a statement. "There is no doubt in my mind that she has learned gigantic lessons. Hopefully, she will be able to serve as an example and help others to make good decisions."

Jones returned her Olympic medals — golds in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 1,600-meter relay and bronzes in the long jump and 400-meter relay — even before the International Olympic Committee ordered her to do so and wiped her results from the books.

She was among the many athletes who testified in 2003 before a grand jury investigating BALCO. And on the day she pleaded guilty, prosecutors said a 2003 search warrant at BALCO uncovered ledgers, purchases, doping calendars, and various blood-test results connected to Jones and former coach Trevor Graham.

She took EPO, human growth hormone and THG using drops and injections, according to the court documents that show use in 2000 and 2001.

Marion Jones Reports To Federal Prison In FW
Former Olympian Begins 6 Months Behind Bars Days Early
FORT WORTH (AP) ―
3/08/08

Former Olympic track star Marion Jones began her six-month sentence in federal prison Friday, punishment for lying to investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs and her role in a check-fraud scam.

Jones turned herself in before noon Friday at Federal Medical Center Carswell, located on the Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Bureau of Prison spokeswoman Traci Billingsley said.

Under the terms of her sentencing, she had until Tuesday to surrender to prison officials.

Although the prison specializes in medical and mental health services, it also has inmates who do not require such care. Billingsley said she could not comment on whether Jones was receiving specialized care.

Jones won three gold and two bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, becoming perhaps the most famous and marketable female athlete in the world.

After frequently denying ever having used performance-enhancing drugs, Jones admitted she had lied to federal investigators in November 2003. Jones also admitted lying about her knowledge of the involvement of Tim Montgomery, the father of her older son, in a scheme to cash millions of dollars worth of stolen or forged checks.

Jones was sentenced in January to six months of prison time and 400 hours of community service in each of the two years following her release. She was sentenced to six months on the steroids case and two months on the check fraud case, but was permitted to serve those sentences concurrently.

Federal Judge Kenneth Karas imposed the maximum sentence suggested in Jones' plea deal, ignoring her lawyers' request for a probation-only sentence. The check-fraud scheme was a major crime, and the wide use of steroids "affects the integrity of athletic competition," the judge said.

Former Olympic track star Marion Jones began her six-month sentence in federal prison Friday, punishment for lying to investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs and her role in a check-fraud scam.

http://cbs11tv.com/local/marion.jone....2.672758.html

[The Bobster]

http://cbs3.com/topstories/Marion.Jo....2.811000.html

Disgraced Sprinter Marion Jones Freed From Prison

SAN ANTONIO (AP) ― Disgraced sprinter Marion Jones was released Friday from federal prison after completing most of her six-month sentence for lying about her steroid use.

Jones left a halfway house in San Antonio around 8 a.m., said LaTanya Robinson, a community corrections manager for the federal Bureau of Prisons. Jones, who has a house in Austin, will remain on probation.

Jones' attorney did not immediately respond to a call or e-mail from The Associated Press requesting comment.

The sprinter admitted last October that she used a designer steroid known as "the clear" from September 2000 to July 2001. The drug was linked to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, the lab that became the center of a steroids scandal that touched numerous professional athletes, including baseball star Barry Bonds.

Her admission of drug use in 2007 came after years of denials.

In 2004, she sued the founder of BALCO for defamation after he said she used steroids. The lawsuit was settled the following year, long before she told the truth in a federal courtroom.

Jones gave back the three gold medals and two bronze medals she won at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney before the International Olympic Committee officially wiped her name from the record books in December.