Conte pleads guilty to steroid distribution, money laundering

"Yes," Anderson replied.

Anderson declined to speak with reporters afterward. And his attorney, Anna Ling, declined to address the question of whether Anderson gave Bonds steroids. Conte, Anderson and Valente sat with each other in the gallery for more than an hour before their cases were called.

Korchemny, his attorney and prosecutors appeared to have reached a deal, but he apparently got cold feet while the judge was handling a lengthy drug case before the BALCO case was called before a packed courtroom here.

Judge Illston will decide whether to accept the pleas at a sentencing hearing Oct. 18.

Conte, Valente and Anderson admitted that they distributed about a half dozen drugs, some known as the "clear," the "cream" and THG. Some were taken orally, others injected or rubbed into the skin.

The case, which began two years ago when authorities learned about a new, undetected designer steroid, opened the public's eyes to performance-enhancing drugs in sports while forcing professional leagues to tighten drug-testing rules.

In an interview with the Associated Press hours after the hearing, U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan said the prosecution prompted wholesale changes in the sports world regarding performance-enhancing drugs, including changes in testing rules in professional sports and track and field. He said current sentencing guidelines for steroid pushers are weak.

Under the federal sentencing guidelines, he said, Conte could have been sentenced to no more than about a year in prison even if he pleaded guilty to all 42 counts against him.

The two counts he and Anderson pleaded to carried a combined maximum of 25 years.

"Congress needs to give us stronger sentencing guidelines," Ryan said. He added that "Maybe this case is something they can look to as to how the guidelines apply in a major steroid distribution case."

He added that Anderson and Valente could have received no more than six months each had they pleaded to all the counts.

As the prosecution was lingering in court, Major League Baseball earlier this year toughened its drug-testing policy, mandating suspensions for initial violations. Congress also threatened to implement a federal drug-testing policy for the NFL, NBA, NHL and the major leagues, with a two-year ban for a first offense and a lifetime ban for a second violation.

The case has deeply impacted the running world. Tim Montgomery, one of the world's fastest men, went before a secret arbitration hearing last month in San Francisco to challenge a potential lifetime ban that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency recommended for his alleged use of banned substances. No decision has been made, but USADA targeted Montgomery and more than a dozen other runners after reviewing evidence obtained in the BALCO investigation.

One of USADA's latest cases was in May, when runner Michelle Collins declined to contest the agency's imposition of a four-year ban, including forfeiture of her 200-meter world indoor and U.S. indoor titles in 2003.

Conte, Anderson, Valente and Korchemny were charged last year with dozens of counts in connection to federal raids at Burlingame-based BALCO in 2003 and at Anderson's house in Burlingame.

Korchemny's attorney, George Walker, said outside of court that the government has agreed not to imprison his client if he pleads guilty to a single reduced charge of doling out steroids, but Korchemny is having trouble admitting guilt. "There are some areas of concern that my client cannot swear to," Walker said.

Federal agents stated in court records they seized calendars and other documents detailing the use of steroids by professional baseball players during the search of Anderson's home. A federal agent wrote in court papers that, during the raid at BALCO headquarters, "Conte openly acknowledged giving testosterone-based cream, itself a steroid, to numerous professional athletes."