U.S. Attorney says Bonds probe will continue

By Jeff Shuttleworth, Bay City News Service

July 20, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - U.S. Attorney for Northern California Kevin Ryan said today that he will continue to investigate Barry Bonds despite a decision not to indict him at this time on possible perjury and tax evasion charges.

In a statement he read to reporters following a news conference on an unrelated stock option backdating scheme, Ryan said, "We are not seeking an indictment today in connection with the ongoing steroid-related investigation and have postponed that decision for another day in light of some recent developments."

But Ryan said "some unanswered questions remain in this case" and "we intend to pursue the answers to those questions."

Ryan said, "We will continue to move forward actively in this investigation -- including continuing to seek the truthful testimony of witnesses whose testimony the grand jury is entitled to hear."

Ryan may have been referring to Greg Anderson, Bonds' personal trainer, who was held in civil contempt and sent to federal prison in Dublin earlier this month for refusing to testify to the grand jury that's been investigating Bonds.

Anderson was released from prison today because the term of the current grand jury has expired.

Ryan said, "After we complete the investigation, we will have a final conclusion about any charges, including whether charges are appropriate."

Ryan's statement will disappoint Bonds. Bonds' attorney, Michael Rains, said earlier today that the federal probe has "plagued" Bonds "off and on the field for more than three years" and the San Francisco Giants star hopes that the decision not to indict him now will end the matter.

Speaking to reporters outside the federal building in San Francisco, which houses the grand jury room and Ryan's office, Rains said,

"There comes a time when an investigation becomes a persecution and a witch hunt and that's where this investigation is."

Rains cited an old saying that it's not hard to get an indictment and even a ham sandwich could be indicted.

"There's not enough evidence to indict a ham sandwich in this case, let alone Barry Bonds," Rains said.

Rains said he believes the Bush Administration and the U.S. Justice Department are "obsessed with Barry Bonds," given the way the investigation has been conducted.

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