Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative

Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative

Company type	Private
Industry	Sports supplements and testing
Founded	1984
Founder	Victor Conte
Defunct	2003
Headquarters	Burlingame, California , United States
Products	Blood and urine testing, food supplements, anabolic steroids (illicitly)

The Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) was a U.S.-based enterprise that operated between 1983 and 2003, established and managed by businessman Victor Conte.

In 2003, investigative reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada uncovered BALCO's involvement in a significant doping controversy, later termed the BALCO scandal. BALCO promoted tetrahydrogestrinone ("the Clear"), a then-undetectable anabolic steroid created by chemist Patrick Arnold. For several years, Conte, BALCO vice president James Valente, trainer Greg Anderson, and coach Remi Korchemny provided elite athletes from the U.S. and Europe with "the Clear" alongside human growth hormone.

History

Based in Burlingame, California, BALCO was launched in 1984 initially as a laboratory service specializing in blood and urine testing as well as food supplements. By 1988, Conte began offering complimentary testing to athletes known as the BALCO Olympians, which granted him access to the Seoul Summer Olympics. Starting in 1996, Conte formed a partnership with NFL player Bill Romanowski, broadening his network to include coaches such as Korchemny. Together they created the ZMA Track Club for promotional purposes, featuring sprinters like Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery. In 2000, through Anderson, Conte established contact with baseball star Barry Bonds, who subsequently introduced other professional baseball players.

Scandal

In 2003, following an anonymous tip from U.S. sprint coach Trevor Graham to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California initiated an inquiry into BALCO’s activities. Graham supplied a syringe containing residues of tetrahydrogestrinone (THG), also called "the Clear," implicating Victor Conte in doping practices.

Dr. Don Catlin, founder of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory, developed a detection method for THG and identified 20 positive samples among 550 tested athletes.

On September 3, 2003, federal authorities including the IRS and FDA conducted raids on BALCO’s premises, seizing steroids, growth hormones, client lists, and dosage instructions. A search of Anderson’s residence uncovered steroids, $60,000 in cash, and comprehensive records.

Athletes associated with BALCO included:

• Major League Baseball players: Barry Bonds, Benito Santiago, Jeremy Giambi, Bobby Estalella, Armando Rios
• Track and field competitors: hammer thrower John McEwen, shot putters Kevin Toth and C.J. Hunter, sprinters Dwain Chambers, Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery, Zhanna Block, and Kelli White, along with middle-distance runner Regina Jacobs
• Boxing: Shane Mosley
• Cycling: Tammy Thomas
• NFL players from the Oakland Raiders roster including Bill Romanowski
• Judo: provided "vitamin supplements" to the 1988 U.S. Olympic judo squad coached by Willy Cahill
• Swimming: Amy Van Dyken

Patrick Arnold asserted that Bonds and Gary Sheffield were recipients of "the Clear," although both athletes denied such claims.

In April 2005, Williams and Fainaru-Wada were honored with the White House Correspondents' Association journalism award. Their 2006 publication Game of Shadows compiled extensive interviews and documentation gathered during their investigation.

On July 15, 2005, Conte and Anderson entered guilty pleas for unlawful steroid distribution and money laundering charges, thus avoiding trial proceedings. Conte served a four-month sentence while Anderson was incarcerated for over a year. On November 15, 2007—the day Anderson was released—Barry Bonds faced indictment on charges of perjury and obstruction related to the probe.

In June 2006, MLB player Jason Grimsley’s residence was searched; under pressure he revealed information regarding doping among players but received a 50-game suspension.

In October 2006, prosecutors subpoenaed journalists Williams and Fainaru-Wada to disclose confidential sources; they refused compliance despite facing potential jail time. The charges were dismissed in February 2007 after attorney Troy Ellerman admitted to leaking grand jury testimony.

Williams declared he would not testify in court even if source confidentiality was not an issue.

Barry Bonds was indicted on November 15, 2007; his trial commenced on March 21, 2011, culminating in a conviction for obstruction of justice on April 13, 2011. This conviction was overturned upon appeal in April 2015.

On April 4, 2008, cyclist Tammy Thomas was found guilty of making false statements before a grand jury and obstructing justice; she received six months of house arrest followed by five years’ probation.

On May 29, 2008, coach Trevor Graham was convicted for providing false information to federal investigators; he was sentenced on October 21 to one year of house arrest.