San Francisco- The government’s perjury and obstruction of justice case set for March 2 against Barry Bonds includes plans to call witnesses who will testify that they saw the slugger “being injected” and heard him make statements “admitting his use of steroids,” according to court filings Friday in San Francisco.
Among its 39 witnesses, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Northern California said it would call upon “the defendant’s mistress,” Kimberly Bell, former personal assistants and former teammates Bobby Estalella, Benito Santiago, Armando Rios and Marvin Benard, as well as other major league players.
Bonds’ defense witnesses are expected to include Harvey Shields, a former trainer for the player, and San Francisco Giants trainer Mark Letendre.
Bonds, baseball’s single-season and career home run king, told a federal grand jury in 2003 that he unknowingly took designer steroids “the cream” and “the clear” when he believed he was using an arthritic balm and flaxseed oil.
In its filing, the government said Bell “will testify that the defendant told her that he was taking steroids prior to the 2000 baseball season. [She] will further testify to personal observations regarding changes in the defendant’s body [beginning in 2000] . . . including bloating, acne on the shoulders and back, hair loss and testicle shrinkage,” which prosecution experts will testify is indicative of steroid use.