Barry Bonds, US baseball's record home run hitter, has been indicted for lying to investigators about using steroids.
The former San Francisco Giants player faces perjury and obstruction of justice charges for statements made during a grand jury hearing into the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) scandal, the California Department of Justice said. If found guilty, Bonds faces up to 30 years in jail.
"Bonds is charged with knowingly and wilfully making false material statements, regarding his use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances while under oath," the state Justice Department said.
Without detailing the evidence they plan to present, justice officials declared that Bonds has tested positive for anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances
That could lead to him being stripped of the US home run record he set earlier this year, although Bud Selig, the Major League Baseball commissioner, gave no hint about that prospect in a statement.
"I take this indictment very seriously and will follow its progress closely," Selig said. "It is important that the facts regarding steroid use in baseball be known.
"We will continue to work diligently to eradicate the use of all illegal performance-enhancing substances from the game."
The 43-year-old outfielder broke Major League Baseball's all-time homer mark 100 days ago, hitting his 756th home run to pass Hank Aaron before finishing on 762 after a chase that saw Bonds jeered everywhere but his home ballpark in San Francisco.
Critics said the milestone was tainted because of the doping allegations hanging over him while the San Francisco Giants did not offer him a contract for next season, leaving Bonds a free agent when the indictments came.
"This is a very sad day," the Giants said in a statement. "For many years, Barry Bonds was an important member of our team and is one of the most talented baseball players of his era.
"These are serious charges. Now that the judicial process has begun, we look forward to this matter being resolved in a court of law."
Bonds faces four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to investigators in the BALCO case. He will have a plea hearing on December 7, when a trial date is likely to be set for next year.
The maximum sentence for perjury is five years on each charge while the maximum term for obstruction of justice is ten years.
Bonds had immunity from prosecution for everything except perjury when he testified to the BALCO grand jury on December 4, 2003. He allegedly lied to investigators several times by denying he took performance-enhancing drugs.
The BALCO scandal has already implicated several top athletes in baseball and track including American athletes Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery and baseball players Jason Giambi and Garry Sheffield.
Bonds, who has denied knowingly taking steroids, also set a single-season mark of 73 homers in 2001, before the major leagues began testing for steroids.
"There has been an effort to get Barry for a long time," Michael Rains, Bonds's attorney, said. "I'm curious to see what evidence they have now that they didn't have before.
"It goes without saying that we look forward to rebutting these charges in court."
On the same day that Bonds was indicted, Greg Anderson, his long-time trainer and one of five men convicted in the BALCO scandal, was ordered by a federal judge to be released from prison.
Anderson had served his BALCO sentence but was being kept behind bars for 13 months for refusing to testify against Bonds to the grand jury which had been investigating the player for lying to the BALCO grand jury.
Mark Geragos, Anderson's attorney, said his client had not cooperated with authorities but was released after charges were filed because his testimony was not needed to produce enough evidence to bring charges.
