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<!-- META_DESCRIPTION: Learn about Greg Anderson's contempt conviction in the BALCO steroid scandal. Explore Barry Bonds' trainer's federal prison time and silence. -->
{{Infobox Person
{{Infobox Person
|name = Greg Anderson
|name = Greg Anderson
|birth_date = February 1966
|birth_date = February 1966
|birth_place = San Francisco, California
|birth_place = San Francisco Bay Area, California
|charges = Distribution of anabolic steroids, Money laundering, Contempt of court
|charges = Conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, Money laundering, Criminal contempt of court, Civil contempt of court
|sentence = 3 months (BALCO), Multiple contempt sentences
|conviction_date = July 15, 2005 (guilty plea)
|facility = FCI Dublin
|sentence = 3 months federal prison plus 3 months home confinement (BALCO); roughly one year in custody for contempt
|judge = Hon. Susan Illston (BALCO sentencing); Hon. William Alsup (contempt)
|facility = Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin
|status = Released
|status = Released
|occupation = Personal trainer
|known_for = Personal trainer to Barry Bonds; central figure in the BALCO investigation
}}
}}
'''Greg F. Anderson''' (born February 1966) is an American personal trainer best known for his work with baseball player Barry Bonds and his central role in the BALCO steroids scandal that rocked professional sports in the early 2000s.<ref name="wiki-anderson">Wikipedia, "Greg Anderson (trainer)," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Anderson_(trainer).</ref> Anderson pleaded guilty in 2005 to conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and money laundering as part of the investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO), receiving a sentence of three months in prison followed by three months of home confinement. However, Anderson would become even more notorious for his steadfast refusal to testify against his lifelong friend Barry Bonds, resulting in multiple contempt of court citations and a total of more than a year spent in federal custody for refusing to cooperate with federal grand juries investigating whether Bonds committed perjury about his steroid use.<ref name="espn-release">ESPN, "Bonds' trainer is released from prison," November 2007, https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3112821.</ref> Anderson's unwavering loyalty to Bonds—he never testified or spoke publicly about Bonds' alleged steroid use—made him a controversial figure who prioritized personal friendship over legal obligations.<ref name="cinemaholic">The Cinemaholic, "Greg Anderson: Where is Barry Bonds' Ex-Trainer Today?," https://thecinemaholic.com/greg-anderson-now/.</ref>


== Summary ==
'''Greg F. Anderson''' (born February 1966) is an American personal trainer. He trained baseball player Barry Bonds and was a central figure in the federal investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, known as BALCO.<ref name="wiki-anderson">{{cite web |title=Greg Anderson (trainer) |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Anderson_(trainer) |publisher=Wikipedia |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> On July 15, 2005, Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and one count of money laundering. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston sentenced him on October 18, 2005, to three months in federal prison followed by three months of home confinement.<ref name="espn-quiet">{{cite news |title=Anderson remains the quiet man |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2813012 |work=ESPN |date=2007-11-15 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


The BALCO scandal exposed the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs in elite sports and implicated numerous prominent athletes, including baseball players Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Gary Sheffield, track stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, and NFL players. At the center of the scandal was a small laboratory in Burlingame, California, founded by Victor Conte, that developed and distributed undetectable steroids to athletes seeking competitive advantages. Greg Anderson served as a crucial link between BALCO and his childhood friend Barry Bonds, one of baseball's greatest players and the all-time home run leader.<ref name="wiki-balco">Wikipedia, "BALCO scandal," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BALCO_scandal.</ref>
Anderson served far longer for what he refused to do than for what he pleaded to. After his BALCO sentence, federal prosecutors subpoenaed him to testify before grand juries weighing perjury charges against Bonds. He declined each time. Judges held him in contempt of court, and he was jailed repeatedly across 2006 and 2007. Those confinements added up to roughly a year in federal custody.<ref name="espn-release">{{cite news |title=Federal judge orders Anderson's release from prison |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3112821 |work=ESPN |date=2007-11-15 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> He was jailed once more during Bonds's 2011 trial. Anderson and Bonds met as boys playing middle-school baseball in California, and Anderson never testified against him.<ref name="wiki-anderson" />
 
Anderson's role in the scandal was significant but not as a mastermind. He was a personal trainer who allegedly provided steroids and other performance-enhancing substances to Bonds and other athletes. When federal investigators unraveled BALCO's operations, Anderson pleaded guilty and served a brief prison sentence. But his refusal to testify about Bonds transformed him from a supporting player into a central figure in the years-long investigation into whether Bonds had lied to a federal grand jury about his steroid use.<ref name="sfgate-prison">SFGate, "Bonds' trainer going to prison," https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Bonds-trainer-going-to-prison-2493491.php.</ref>
 
Anderson's willingness to go to prison repeatedly rather than testify against Bonds became a story unto itself—a tale of unusual loyalty that some viewed as admirable personal integrity and others as obstruction of justice. Whatever the characterization, Anderson never broke his silence, and to this day has never publicly discussed his relationship with Bonds or his alleged role in providing the slugger with performance-enhancing drugs.<ref name="cinemaholic" />


== Background ==
== Background ==


=== Early Life and Friendship with Bonds ===
Anderson was born in February 1966 in the San Francisco Bay Area. He met Barry Bonds when the two were children playing middle-school baseball together. The friendship lasted into adulthood.<ref name="wiki-anderson" />
 
Greg Anderson was born in February 1966 in the San Francisco Bay Area. He and Barry Bonds became friends as children when they played middle-school baseball together in California. This childhood friendship would endure for decades and ultimately place Anderson at the center of one of the biggest scandals in sports history.<ref name="wiki-anderson" />
 
Anderson pursued a career as a personal trainer, eventually working with elite athletes. His training business brought him into contact with BALCO and its founder, Victor Conte, who was developing cutting-edge (and illegal) performance-enhancing substances marketed to athletes seeking competitive advantages. Anderson became one of the trainers who allegedly distributed BALCO's products to clients, most notably Barry Bonds.<ref name="wiki-anderson" />
 
=== Connection to BALCO ===
 
The Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) was founded by Victor Conte in 1984, ostensibly as a legitimate sports nutrition company. In reality, BALCO developed and distributed designer steroids, including a substance known as "the clear" (tetrahydrogestrinone or THG), specifically designed to evade detection by anti-doping tests. BALCO's clients included numerous elite athletes across multiple sports.<ref name="wiki-balco" />
 
Anderson served as a connection between BALCO and Barry Bonds, who by the early 2000s was in his late thirties and entering what would become the most prolific home run hitting phase of his career. Bonds's remarkable late-career power surge generated speculation about performance-enhancing drug use, speculation that intensified after the BALCO scandal broke.<ref name="sf-chronicle">San Francisco Chronicle, "The long, strange tale of the Barry Bonds prosecution," https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/article/The-long-strange-tale-of-the-Barry-Bonds-6398207.php.</ref>
 
== Indictment, Prosecution, and Sentencing ==
 
=== BALCO Investigation ===
 
Federal investigators began examining BALCO in 2002 after receiving a tip about the company's activities. The investigation expanded to encompass numerous athletes and their trainers, including Anderson. In 2004, Anderson was indicted on charges related to distributing steroids and money laundering.<ref name="wiki-anderson" />
 
=== Guilty Plea and Initial Sentence ===
 
In July 2005, Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and one count of money laundering. Under the plea agreement, he was sentenced to three months in federal prison followed by three months of home confinement. He served this sentence at a federal facility.<ref name="wiki-anderson" />
 
As part of the BALCO investigation, Barry Bonds testified before a federal grand jury in December 2003. During his testimony, Bonds denied knowingly using steroids, claiming that if Anderson had given him any prohibited substances, he was unaware of their true nature. This testimony would later form the basis for perjury charges against Bonds.<ref name="wiki-bonds">Wikipedia, "Barry Bonds perjury case," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Bonds_perjury_case.</ref>
 
=== Contempt of Court ===
 
After completing his BALCO sentence, Anderson was subpoenaed to testify before federal grand juries investigating whether Bonds had committed perjury in his 2003 testimony. Anderson refused to testify, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and, when granted immunity that eliminated that protection, simply refusing to answer questions.<ref name="sfgate-prison" />
 
On July 5, 2006, U.S. District Judge William Alsup found Anderson in contempt of court for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury. Anderson was denied bail and immediately sent to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. He was released on July 20, 2006, when that grand jury's term expired without indicting Bonds.<ref name="abc-release">ABC News, "Bonds' Trainer Released From Prison," https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=3875834&page=1.</ref>


However, a new grand jury was immediately convened to continue the investigation. Anderson was again subpoenaed and again refused to testify. On August 17, 2006, he was again held in contempt and returned to federal custody. This time, his confinement lasted more than a year. Anderson remained in the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin from August 28, 2006, until November 15, 2007—the same day that Bonds was finally indicted on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice.<ref name="espn-release" />
Anderson worked as a personal trainer and built a clientele that included professional athletes. His work brought him into contact with BALCO, a Burlingame, California, company founded in 1984 by Victor Conte. BALCO presented itself as a sports nutrition business. It also produced and distributed designer steroids, among them a substance called "the clear," tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG, formulated to evade standard drug tests.<ref name="bonds-perjury">{{cite web |title=Barry Bonds perjury case |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Bonds_perjury_case |publisher=Wikipedia |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


With Bonds indicted and no longer under grand jury investigation, there was no longer any basis for holding Anderson in contempt, and he was released.<ref name="deseret-release">Deseret News, "Bonds' trainer freed from prison after contempt order isn't affirmed," October 6, 2006, https://www.deseret.com/2006/10/6/19977904/bonds-trainer-freed-from-prison-after-contempt-order-isn-t-affirmed/.</ref>
Anderson became the link between BALCO and Bonds. By the early 2000s Bonds was in his late thirties and putting up the most productive home-run totals of his career. The surge drew attention. When the BALCO investigation became public, that attention turned to whether Bonds had used the lab's products.<ref name="wiki-anderson" />


=== Final Contempt Citation ===
== BALCO Scandal ==


Anderson's legal troubles were not quite over. During Bonds's criminal trial in 2011, Anderson was again called to testify and again refused. He was held in contempt once more and served from March 22, 2011, to April 8, 2011, in federal custody before being released when his testimony was no longer needed.<ref name="wiki-anderson" />
The BALCO investigation reached well beyond one trainer and one ballplayer. Federal agents opened the case in 2002. It eventually touched baseball players Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, track athletes Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, and others across several sports. The substances at issue were performance-enhancing drugs designed to beat anti-doping screens.<ref name="bonds-perjury" />


In total, Anderson spent approximately 15-16 months in federal custody for contempt of court—far longer than his original three-month BALCO sentence—solely because of his refusal to testify against Barry Bonds.<ref name="grokipedia">Grokipedia, "Greg Anderson (trainer)," https://grokipedia.com/page/Greg_Anderson_(trainer).</ref>
Anderson was not the operator of the lab. He was a trainer accused of passing BALCO's products to athletes he worked with, Bonds chief among them. Investigators built a distribution and money-laundering case against him.<ref name="wiki-anderson" />


== Prison Experience ==
The case grew out of a raid. In September 2003, agents from the Internal Revenue Service and a San Mateo County narcotics task force searched BALCO's offices, and agents also searched Anderson's home. On February 12, 2004, a federal grand jury returned a 42-count indictment against four men: BALCO founder Victor Conte, BALCO executive James Valente, track coach Remi Korchemny, and Anderson. The charges included money laundering and possession with intent to distribute steroids.<ref name="cnn-balco">{{cite web |title=BALCO Fast Facts |url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/10/31/us/balco-fast-facts |publisher=CNN |date=2013-10-31 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


Anderson served all of his federal custody time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, a low-security federal prison in the San Francisco Bay Area. The facility's proximity to the Bay Area allowed for family visits during his lengthy contempt confinements.<ref name="abc-release" />
Bonds testified before a federal grand jury in December 2003. He said he had not knowingly used steroids. He said that if Anderson had given him anything, he had not known what it was. That testimony became the foundation for the later perjury inquiry.<ref name="bonds-perjury" />


Anderson's time in custody was unusual in that much of it was for civil contempt rather than criminal conviction. Civil contempt is designed to compel compliance with a court order, not to punish past conduct. In theory, Anderson could have been released at any time by agreeing to testify. His continued refusal demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to his decision not to cooperate against Bonds.<ref name="espn-release" />
Of the four men indicted in 2004, the others resolved their cases without going to trial. Conte pleaded guilty in July 2005 to distributing illegal performance-enhancing drugs and to money laundering, and was sentenced to four months in prison and four months of home confinement. Valente received probation as part of his plea agreement.<ref name="wapo-conte">{{cite news |title=BALCO Head Gets 4 Months in Prison |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/10/19/balco-head-gets-4-months-in-prison/53099a43-6585-42fe-9433-61668b549b28/ |work=The Washington Post |date=2005-10-19 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> Anderson took a similar plea deal the same month. His later jailings came not from the BALCO charges but from his refusal to testify about Bonds.<ref name="wiki-anderson" /><ref name="cnn-balco" />


== Public Statements and Positions ==
== Guilty Plea ==


Greg Anderson has never publicly spoken about his alleged involvement with BALCO, his relationship with Barry Bonds, or his reasons for refusing to testify. His silence has been absolute and has continued to the present day. He has granted no interviews and made no public statements about the scandal that made him infamous.<ref name="cinemaholic" />
A federal grand jury indicted Anderson in February 2004 on charges tied to steroid distribution and money laundering.<ref name="wiki-anderson" />


Anderson's motivations have been the subject of speculation. The most common interpretation is that he prioritized his childhood friendship with Bonds over all other considerations, including his own freedom. Some have characterized this as admirable loyalty; others as obstruction of justice that allowed a potential perjurer to evade accountability for years.
On July 15, 2005, Anderson reached a deal with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and to money laundering.<ref name="espn-quiet" /> Judge Susan Illston sentenced him on October 18, 2005. The sentence was three months in federal prison and three months of home confinement.<ref name="espn-quiet" /> He served that term and completed it.<ref name="wiki-anderson" />


Whatever his reasons, Anderson paid a significant personal price for his silence, spending more than a year of his life in federal custody for contempt rather than provide testimony that prosecutors believed would have helped convict Bonds of perjury. Bonds was eventually convicted of obstruction of justice but acquitted on the perjury charges; the obstruction conviction was later overturned on appeal.<ref name="wiki-bonds" />
== Contempt and Refusal to Testify ==


== Terminology ==
After the BALCO sentence, prosecutors called Anderson before a federal grand jury investigating whether Bonds had lied in his 2003 testimony. Anderson would not answer questions. Prosecutors granted him immunity, which removed his Fifth Amendment basis for silence. He still refused.<ref name="nbc-jailed">{{cite news |title=Judge sends Greg Anderson back to jail |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/sports/judge-sends-greg-anderson-back-to-jail/1912264/ |work=NBC Bay Area |date=2006-08-28 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


* '''Contempt of Court''': Disobedience to a court order or disruption of court proceedings, which can be punished by fines or imprisonment.
On July 5, 2006, U.S. District Judge William Alsup found Anderson in contempt. The judge denied bail and sent him to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. Anderson was released on July 20, 2006, when that grand jury's term ended without an indictment of Bonds.<ref name="espn-contempt">{{cite news |title=Greg Anderson held in contempt, returned to jail |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2564340 |work=ESPN |date=2006-08-28 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


* '''Civil Contempt''': Contempt designed to compel compliance with a court order, where the contemnor can be released upon agreeing to comply.
A new grand jury took up the matter. Anderson was subpoenaed again and again declined to testify. On August 28, 2006, he was held in contempt a second time and returned to FCI Dublin.<ref name="nbc-jailed" /> That confinement ran until November 15, 2007. He was released hours after Bonds was indicted on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. With Bonds charged, the grand jury no longer needed Anderson's testimony, so the legal basis for holding him fell away.<ref name="espn-release" />


* '''BALCO''': Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, the company at the center of the steroids scandal that implicated numerous professional athletes.
Much of that custody was civil contempt rather than a criminal sentence. Civil contempt is meant to pressure a witness into complying with a court order, not to punish a past act. Anderson could have ended each stretch by agreeing to testify. He did not.<ref name="espn-contempt" />


* '''Performance-Enhancing Drugs''': Substances used by athletes to improve athletic performance, many of which are banned by sports organizations and illegal under federal law.
Anderson was jailed a final time during Bonds's criminal trial. On March 22, 2011, he was again sent to FCI Dublin for refusing to testify. He was released on April 8, 2011.<ref name="wiki-anderson" /> Bonds was convicted of obstruction of justice and acquitted on the perjury counts. The obstruction conviction was later overturned on appeal.<ref name="bonds-perjury" />


== See also ==
Across the 2006, 2007, and 2011 confinements, Anderson spent more than a year in federal custody for contempt. That was longer than his original three-month BALCO term. He served all of it at FCI Dublin, a federal prison in the San Francisco Bay Area.<ref name="espn-release" />
 
* [[Prison_Consultants|Prison Consultants]]
* [[High-Profile_Federal_Offenders|High-Profile Federal Offenders]]


Anderson has not spoken publicly about BALCO, about Bonds, or about his reasons for refusing to testify. He gave no interviews on the case and made no statements about it.<ref name="wiki-anderson" />


== Frequently Asked Questions ==
== Frequently Asked Questions ==
{{FAQSection/Start}}
{{FAQSection/Start}}
{{FAQ|question=Who is Greg Anderson?|answer=Greg Anderson is a personal trainer who became famous for refusing to testify against Barry Bonds in the BALCO steroids investigation, serving time in prison for contempt of court.}}
{{FAQ|question=Who is Greg Anderson?|answer=Greg Anderson is an American personal trainer who worked with baseball player Barry Bonds. He was a central figure in the BALCO steroids investigation and pleaded guilty in 2005 to conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and money laundering.}}
{{FAQ|question=Why did Greg Anderson go to prison?|answer=Anderson was imprisoned multiple times for contempt of court after refusing to testify before a grand jury about whether he provided steroids to baseball player Barry Bonds.}}
{{FAQ|question=What did Greg Anderson plead guilty to?|answer=On July 15, 2005, Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and one count of money laundering. Judge Susan Illston sentenced him on October 18, 2005, to three months in federal prison and three months of home confinement.}}
{{FAQ|question=How long did Greg Anderson serve in prison?|answer=Anderson served over a year in federal prison for contempt, being jailed and released multiple times as authorities sought his testimony.}}
{{FAQ|question=Why was Greg Anderson jailed for contempt?|answer=After his BALCO sentence, Anderson refused to testify before federal grand juries investigating whether Bonds had committed perjury. Judges held him in contempt of court, and he was jailed repeatedly across 2006 and 2007, and again in 2011.}}
{{FAQ|question=What was the BALCO scandal?|answer=BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative) was at the center of a major sports doping scandal involving performance-enhancing drugs supplied to elite athletes including baseball and track stars.}}
{{FAQ|question=How long did Greg Anderson spend in prison for contempt?|answer=Anderson spent more than a year in federal custody for contempt across the 2006, 2007, and 2011 confinements. That was longer than his original three-month BALCO sentence.}}
{{FAQ|question=Did Greg Anderson ever testify against Barry Bonds?|answer=No, Anderson never testified against Bonds, maintaining his silence throughout multiple prison terms for contempt.}}
{{FAQ|question=Where was Greg Anderson incarcerated?|answer=Anderson served his federal custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, a federal prison in the San Francisco Bay Area.}}
{{FAQ|question=Did Greg Anderson testify against Barry Bonds?|answer=No. Anderson refused to testify before the grand juries and at Bonds's 2011 trial. He accepted repeated jailings for contempt rather than testify.}}
{{FAQSection/End}}
{{FAQSection/End}}


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<references />


{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Greg}}
[[Category:High-Profile_Federal_Offenders]]
[[Category:High-Profile_Federal_Offenders]]
[[Category:Drug_Offenses]]
[[Category:Contempt of Court]]
[[Category:Released_Federal_Offenders]]
{{#seo:
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|title_mode=replace
|description=Greg Anderson, personal trainer to Barry Bonds, pleaded guilty in the BALCO steroids case and was jailed repeatedly for contempt after refusing to testify against Bonds.
|keywords=Greg Anderson, BALCO, Barry Bonds, steroid distribution, money laundering, contempt of court, FCI Dublin, federal prison
|type=ProfilePage
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{{MetaDescription|Greg Anderson, Barry Bonds' trainer, pleaded guilty in the BALCO steroids case and served roughly a year for contempt after refusing to testify against Bonds.}}

Latest revision as of 13:31, 3 June 2026

Greg Anderson
Born: February 1966
San Francisco Bay Area, California
Charges: Conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, Money laundering, Criminal contempt of court, Civil contempt of court
Sentence: 3 months federal prison plus 3 months home confinement (BALCO); roughly one year in custody for contempt
Facility: Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin
Status: Released


Greg F. Anderson (born February 1966) is an American personal trainer. He trained baseball player Barry Bonds and was a central figure in the federal investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, known as BALCO.[1] On July 15, 2005, Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and one count of money laundering. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston sentenced him on October 18, 2005, to three months in federal prison followed by three months of home confinement.[2]

Anderson served far longer for what he refused to do than for what he pleaded to. After his BALCO sentence, federal prosecutors subpoenaed him to testify before grand juries weighing perjury charges against Bonds. He declined each time. Judges held him in contempt of court, and he was jailed repeatedly across 2006 and 2007. Those confinements added up to roughly a year in federal custody.[3] He was jailed once more during Bonds's 2011 trial. Anderson and Bonds met as boys playing middle-school baseball in California, and Anderson never testified against him.[1]

Background

Anderson was born in February 1966 in the San Francisco Bay Area. He met Barry Bonds when the two were children playing middle-school baseball together. The friendship lasted into adulthood.[1]

Anderson worked as a personal trainer and built a clientele that included professional athletes. His work brought him into contact with BALCO, a Burlingame, California, company founded in 1984 by Victor Conte. BALCO presented itself as a sports nutrition business. It also produced and distributed designer steroids, among them a substance called "the clear," tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG, formulated to evade standard drug tests.[4]

Anderson became the link between BALCO and Bonds. By the early 2000s Bonds was in his late thirties and putting up the most productive home-run totals of his career. The surge drew attention. When the BALCO investigation became public, that attention turned to whether Bonds had used the lab's products.[1]

BALCO Scandal

The BALCO investigation reached well beyond one trainer and one ballplayer. Federal agents opened the case in 2002. It eventually touched baseball players Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, track athletes Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, and others across several sports. The substances at issue were performance-enhancing drugs designed to beat anti-doping screens.[4]

Anderson was not the operator of the lab. He was a trainer accused of passing BALCO's products to athletes he worked with, Bonds chief among them. Investigators built a distribution and money-laundering case against him.[1]

The case grew out of a raid. In September 2003, agents from the Internal Revenue Service and a San Mateo County narcotics task force searched BALCO's offices, and agents also searched Anderson's home. On February 12, 2004, a federal grand jury returned a 42-count indictment against four men: BALCO founder Victor Conte, BALCO executive James Valente, track coach Remi Korchemny, and Anderson. The charges included money laundering and possession with intent to distribute steroids.[5]

Bonds testified before a federal grand jury in December 2003. He said he had not knowingly used steroids. He said that if Anderson had given him anything, he had not known what it was. That testimony became the foundation for the later perjury inquiry.[4]

Of the four men indicted in 2004, the others resolved their cases without going to trial. Conte pleaded guilty in July 2005 to distributing illegal performance-enhancing drugs and to money laundering, and was sentenced to four months in prison and four months of home confinement. Valente received probation as part of his plea agreement.[6] Anderson took a similar plea deal the same month. His later jailings came not from the BALCO charges but from his refusal to testify about Bonds.[1][5]

Guilty Plea

A federal grand jury indicted Anderson in February 2004 on charges tied to steroid distribution and money laundering.[1]

On July 15, 2005, Anderson reached a deal with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and to money laundering.[2] Judge Susan Illston sentenced him on October 18, 2005. The sentence was three months in federal prison and three months of home confinement.[2] He served that term and completed it.[1]

Contempt and Refusal to Testify

After the BALCO sentence, prosecutors called Anderson before a federal grand jury investigating whether Bonds had lied in his 2003 testimony. Anderson would not answer questions. Prosecutors granted him immunity, which removed his Fifth Amendment basis for silence. He still refused.[7]

On July 5, 2006, U.S. District Judge William Alsup found Anderson in contempt. The judge denied bail and sent him to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. Anderson was released on July 20, 2006, when that grand jury's term ended without an indictment of Bonds.[8]

A new grand jury took up the matter. Anderson was subpoenaed again and again declined to testify. On August 28, 2006, he was held in contempt a second time and returned to FCI Dublin.[7] That confinement ran until November 15, 2007. He was released hours after Bonds was indicted on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. With Bonds charged, the grand jury no longer needed Anderson's testimony, so the legal basis for holding him fell away.[3]

Much of that custody was civil contempt rather than a criminal sentence. Civil contempt is meant to pressure a witness into complying with a court order, not to punish a past act. Anderson could have ended each stretch by agreeing to testify. He did not.[8]

Anderson was jailed a final time during Bonds's criminal trial. On March 22, 2011, he was again sent to FCI Dublin for refusing to testify. He was released on April 8, 2011.[1] Bonds was convicted of obstruction of justice and acquitted on the perjury counts. The obstruction conviction was later overturned on appeal.[4]

Across the 2006, 2007, and 2011 confinements, Anderson spent more than a year in federal custody for contempt. That was longer than his original three-month BALCO term. He served all of it at FCI Dublin, a federal prison in the San Francisco Bay Area.[3]

Anderson has not spoken publicly about BALCO, about Bonds, or about his reasons for refusing to testify. He gave no interviews on the case and made no statements about it.[1]

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is Greg Anderson?

Greg Anderson is an American personal trainer who worked with baseball player Barry Bonds. He was a central figure in the BALCO steroids investigation and pleaded guilty in 2005 to conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and money laundering.


Q: What did Greg Anderson plead guilty to?

On July 15, 2005, Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and one count of money laundering. Judge Susan Illston sentenced him on October 18, 2005, to three months in federal prison and three months of home confinement.


Q: Why was Greg Anderson jailed for contempt?

After his BALCO sentence, Anderson refused to testify before federal grand juries investigating whether Bonds had committed perjury. Judges held him in contempt of court, and he was jailed repeatedly across 2006 and 2007, and again in 2011.


Q: How long did Greg Anderson spend in prison for contempt?

Anderson spent more than a year in federal custody for contempt across the 2006, 2007, and 2011 confinements. That was longer than his original three-month BALCO sentence.


Q: Where was Greg Anderson incarcerated?

Anderson served his federal custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, a federal prison in the San Francisco Bay Area.


Q: Did Greg Anderson testify against Barry Bonds?

No. Anderson refused to testify before the grand juries and at Bonds's 2011 trial. He accepted repeated jailings for contempt rather than testify.


References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 "Greg Anderson (trainer)". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Anderson remains the quiet man".ESPN.2007-11-15.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Federal judge orders Anderson's release from prison".ESPN.2007-11-15.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Barry Bonds perjury case". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "BALCO Fast Facts". CNN. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  6. ↑ "BALCO Head Gets 4 Months in Prison".The Washington Post.2005-10-19.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Judge sends Greg Anderson back to jail".NBC Bay Area.2006-08-28.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Greg Anderson held in contempt, returned to jail".ESPN.2006-08-28.Retrieved 2026-06-03.


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