Graham found guilty
May 30, 2008
ATHLETICS COACH Trevor Graham was found guilty yesterday of one count of lying to federal investigators about his relationship with a steroids dealer.
Jurors could not reach a verdict on two other counts.
Graham, who coached former star sprinters Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, is the second person from the BALCO doping scandal to be convicted at trial. Former elite cyclist Tammy Thomas was found guilty of lying to a federal grand jury when she denied taking steroids.
Graham was charged with three counts of lying to two IRS agents about his relationship with Angel 'Memo' Heredia, a Laredo, Texas, discus thrower who bought performance-enhancing drugs in Mexico and sold them to many star track athletes.
In an interview in North Carolina in June 2004, Graham, who denied setting up his athletes with drugs obtained from Heredia, said he never met Heredia in person and that he last contacted Heredia by phone in about 1997.
Mistrial declared
The jurors convicted Graham on the charge relating to the phone calls, but a mistrial was declared on the other two. Prosecutors, who can retry Graham on those charges, had no comment on their next move.
Graham's attorney, William Keane, portrayed his client as "the original whistleblower in BALCO" who later was made a scapegoat. In 2003, Graham anonymously sent the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) a vial of 'the clear', a then undetectable steroid....
Author: Gleaner Reporter
Source: Jamaica Gleaner
