Tue May 13 20:55:19 2008

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New indictment against Bonds unsealed

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San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Federal prosecutors have filed a new indictment against Barry Bonds, baseball's all-time home run king.

According to documents released Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Bonds was charged with 14 counts of lying to a grand jury and one count of obstruction that he denied knowingly taking illegal performance- enhancing drugs.

In March, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston delayed the case against Bonds so government lawyers could correct technical flaws in the original indictment. At the time, prosecutors hit Bonds with a five-count indictment -- four counts of perjury and one for obstruction of justice -- after one of the longest federal grand jury investigations in Northern California history involving the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO).

However, Bonds' lawyers contended that under law the indictment was deficient because the government can accuse a person of only one crime per count of an indictment. Apparently, too many allegations were compiled into too few counts of the original indictment.

There are no new allegations in the indictment revealed Tuesday, except that it breaks down the charges ahead of the next hearing, scheduled for June 6.

Each of the counts of lying carries a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release. Another count of obstruction could mean a maximum of 10 years imprisonment.

Bonds has been accused of lying under oath to a federal grand jury during his testimony, given under oath in December 2003. That is at the center of his November 15, 2007 indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice.

A seven-time MVP, eight-time Gold Glove winner, 14-time All-Star and two-time batting champion, Bonds owns seven single-season major league records, most notably a 73-home run season in 2001 with the Giants.

Bonds' last years in San Francisco were littered with controversy. In December 2004, the San Francisco Chronicle first reported Bonds used a clear substance and a cream given to him by trainer Greg Anderson during the 2003 baseball season.

Bonds, who is a free agent, currently stands at 762 home runs, with a career average of .298 in 22 seasons with Pittsburgh and San Francisco. He was released by the Giants during the offseason.