Photo Courtesy of ESPN
After nearly 10 years, Barry Bonds’ legal troubles are officially over. The U.S. Department of Justice decided to drop what was left of its criminal case against Bonds.
Bonds was being prosecuted for obstruction of justice due to an answer he gave during a federal grand jury in 2003. A Circuit Court overturned the charges back in April, and the Department of Justice decided it would not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to evaluate that decision.
It took over a decade, but the government could not find a way to prosecute Bonds. The decision to go after him in the first place is starting to look like a costly blunder. The initial trial was said to have cost $6 million. That figure has gone up when you consider the hours and paperwork involved in the appeal process.
The Associated Press spoke to a former prosecutor, who explained it didn’t make sense for the Dept. of Justice to pursue this issue further.
The DOJ had to ask the solicitor general’s office for permission to appeal the ruling, said Rory Little, a former federal prosecutor who now teaches at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. The DOJ said in its court filing that the solicitor general would not appeal the case, meaning the reversal of Bonds’ conviction would stand.
Shortly after the decision was made public, Bonds released a statement on his website. The statement read:
“The finality of today’s decision gives me great peace. As I have said before, this outcome is something I have long wished for. I am relieved, humbled and thankful for what this means for me and my family moving forward. Throughout this process my faith in God, along with so many who have supported me, is what has kept me going. Thank you to all of you who have expressed your heartfelt wishes to me; for that, I am grateful. I’d also like to thank my outstanding legal team for their continued work on my behalf.”
The ruling probably still won’t help Bonds’ chances at the Hall of Fame. The home run king received just 38.6% of votes last season. However, voters aren’t keeping him out due to his legal troubles, they are keeping him out due to his perceived use of performance enhancing drugs. With those issues still unresolved, Bonds is unlikely to see his voting percentage rise much in the coming years.
In the end, it all looks like a gigantic waste of time and money. The government fought for over a decade to try and make Bonds a felon, and ultimately failed.
Bonds likely also spent a lot of money, but he came out on top this time. Bonds hasn’t had a lot of chances for victory since he retired, so this is probably a nice change for him.