BALCO CASE: Bonds' former girlfriend testifies

S F Chronicle ^ | March 20, 2005 | Lance Williams, Mark Fainaru-Wada

[Ramonan]

Prosecutors in the BALCO steroids conspiracy case subpoenaed a former girlfriend of Barry Bonds to testify before a federal grand jury in San Francisco last week, questioning her about the Giants star's finances and whether he used steroids, The Chronicle has learned.

Kimberly Bell, 35, a graphic artist from San Jose who says she dated Bonds from 1994 to 2003, told the grand jury Thursday that in 2000, the left fielder confided to her that he had begun using steroids, according to two sources familiar with an account of her testimony.

Bell also testified that in 2001, Bonds had given her $80,000 in cash -- earned, she claimed, from his sale of autographed baseballs and other memorabilia -- to make the down payment on a house for her in Scottsdale, Ariz., near the Giants' spring training facility, the sources said. Rains, Bonds' attorney, said the subpoena of Bell was another indication that the real target of the BALCO case is Bonds.

"It's always been the U.S. versus Bonds, and they're always just gunning for the big guy," he said. "I guess this is just an extension of that."

Rains has accused Bell of attempting to extort money from Bonds since the end of their relationship and said her allegations that Bonds used steroids were absurd. IRS criminal investigator Jeff Novitzky, lead agent in the BALCO case, contacted Bell last month after she appeared on the Geraldo Rivera program on the Fox News Channel to promote her book project and spoke about Bonds' alleged steroid use.

[duckman]

Hell has no fury as a woman scorned.

[mcg2000]

Hell has no fury as a woman scorned. Hell has no fury like that of an All-Star Outfielder in the midst of a 'roid rage.

[Bernard]

But Henry Waxman gave Barry Bonds an intentional pass on the hearings in Washington - he must be clean!! It certainly can't be weasel politics in action, can it?

[bluefish]

For the life of me, I can't figure out why Congress is so interested in this supposedly horrible scandal. Who cares? I'm pissed b/c all of this is a massive waste of taxpayer dollars. Hell, the steroid being sold by Balco wasn't even illegal as best I can tell. If it was, by virtue of being an analogue or something, it is STILL a big fat waste of time, just like outlawing various pro-hormones earlier this year, which were not illegal and used by a a puny minority, hurting nobody except maybe themselves.

[jolie560]

Making sure Barry is also in the spotlight is fair news to me.

[DaoPian]

I'm pissed b/c all of this is a massive waste of taxpayer dollars.

You must be pissed all the time!

[mcg2000]

future health care costs to those on steriods (if damage is done); future civil lawsuits; public financing of stadiums, etc

[Mr. Jeeves]

But Henry Waxman gave Barry Bonds an intentional pass on the hearings in Washington - he must be clean!!

Waxman knows better than to question Bonds in public - with the way Bonds dices up moronic sportswriters, he would have even less trouble making Waxman look like the idiot he is.

[bluefish]

Oh come on.. Your arguments can apply to eating at McDonalds, not drinking enough water, taking the escalator instead of the stairs and more.

You can rationalize ANY intrusion into our lives by Congress, so your pathetic attempt has not convinced me.

I suppose you would advocate simply turning every aspect of our lives over to Hillary now to just get it over with.

[mcg2000]

I'm only telling you some of the justifications discussed on television & radio. I personally find it embarrassing that people support athletes who depend on designer drugs for performance, but hey... that's just me.