December 22, 2006
Leaker Accused
Josh Peter at Yahoo Sports scores the scoop on the FBI investigation into the BALCO leaks:
The FBI has targeted a defense attorney for leaking confidential grand jury information linking Barry Bonds and other world-class athletes to alleged steroid use, Yahoo! Sports has learned.
The defense attorney, Troy Ellerman, has been the subject of an FBI investigation, according to Larry McCormack, a former private investigator who worked on the BALCO federal steroids case and who said he was a co-tenant in an office with Ellerman in Sacramento, Calif., where they worked together on cases, at the time of the alleged leaks. Other sources have said they were interviewed by the FBI.
McCormack, who said he did investigative work on behalf of BALCO founder Victor Conte Jr. in the early stages of the case, said he told the FBI that Ellerman relayed confidential grand jury information to a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle in 2004.
"I felt it was wrong," McCormack said of the leaks during a recent interview. "I said it was wrong from the get-go."
Here's the most damming accusations:
McCormack said Ellerman leaked information from the grand jury to Fainaru-Wada. McCormack said he met Fainaru-Wada during a lunch meeting with Ellerman in the spring or summer of 2004. He also said he saw Fainaru-Wada again when the reporter visited the Sacramento office McCormack shared with Ellerman about a half-dozen times between June and December, when Fainaru-Wada and Williams wrote articles citing leaked grand jury documents.
On June 24, 2004, when McCormack saw an article in the Chronicle that reported sprinter Montgomery had testified Conte gave him weekly doses of human growth hormone in 2001, McCormack said he knew the confidential information had come from Ellerman. He then confronted Ellerman.
"What in the hell are you doing?" McCormack said he asked. "Man, this is nuts. I don't know why you dragged me into this."
He said, "Don't worry about it. They (the reporters) won't testify."
The interesting thing is Ellerman accused the government of supplying the leaks, and Bonds' attorney still holds to that belief. Of course, Barry's lawyer is trying to prove there's a witch hunt for his client, so I'd expect that.
Now, McCormack may be out for revenge here:
McCormack said he wrestled with his decision to contact the FBI because he has known Ellerman for nine years, shared an office with him for five years and still considers him a friend. But McCormack also said he expected some would question his motives because his relationship with Ellerman had become strained.
They worked together at the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), the world's premier rodeo association, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo. Ellerman, a former bull rider, took over as commissioner in January 2005. McCormack said Ellerman hired him that March as chief operating officer and later appointed him as executive director of the PRCA's Hall of Fame museum.
But McCormack said he and Ellerman found themselves at odds over issues, such as Ellerman's aborted plan to move the PRCA to New Mexico. The board of trustees, by an 8-7 vote, fired McCormack on Aug. 30 and cited the museum's growing debt as the reason for his dismissal, according to McCormack. McCormack contends he was wrongfully terminated and that the PRCA's plan to uproot the headquarters and a public backlash created most of the museums financial problems.
About a week after his ouster, McCormack said, he contacted the federal authorities about the alleged leaks in the BALCO case. He also said he talked to Ellerman about a financial settlement but instructed his attorney to hold off on pursuing the settlement until the FBI completed its investigation. McCormack said he didn't want it to look as if he was trying to extort money from Ellerman.
Still, he's spent a lot of time in law enforcement, so you'd think he'd have something to back him up.
Update: As James points out in the comments, there's another leaker story as well. And Dontrelle seemed like such a nice young man.
Posted by David Pinto at
07:01 AM
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Cheating
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HGH? Cover ups? Rodeo? This story has everything!
BTW -
"McCormack said he wrestled with his decision to contact the FBI because he has known Ellerman for nine years, shared an office with him for five years and STILL CONSIDERS HIM A FRIEND."
I'd hate to see what this guy does to his enemies.
When I saw your "Leaker Accused" headline this morning, David, I thought the story was going to be this one:
http://tinyurl.com/ydxu7h
jamie, the first thing that came to my mind was Moises Alou..
but my mind works that way. :)