Lawyer who fessed up to leaking testimony gets 30 months

He also later served as the attorney for BALCO vice president James Valente, and it was while he was representing Valente that he allowed reporter Mark Fainaru-Wada to view the players' grand jury testimony.

The leaked testimony was featured prominently in Fainaru-Wada's book co-written with Lance Williams called Game of Shadows, which recounts the alleged steroid use of Bonds, who is five home runs away from breaking Hank Aaron's career home run record.

A friend and former private investigator in Ellerman's law firm turned him in to authorities after they had a falling out.

Ellerman said the pressures of the high-profile case coupled with alcohol and cocaine abuse were major factors in letting the reporter view the transcripts.

"I did not do this seeking publicity," he told the judge. He said trying to cover his tracks "took on a life of its own."

He pleaded guilty to four felony counts of obstruction of justice and related charges, and federal prosecutors dropped their case against the two reporters. They had faced up to 18 months in prison for refusing to divulge the source of the leak.

Judge White also ordered Ellerman to give 10 talks on conduct to law students. The judge didn't fine Ellerman.

Ellerman was fired as commissioner of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and voluntarily gave up his license to practice law in California.

Ellerman's two clients in the original case, BALCO founder Conte and former BALCO executive James Valente, pleaded guilty to steroids-related charges in an earlier phase of the investigation. Chemist Patrick Arnold, Bonds' personal trainer Greg Anderson and track coach Remi Korchemny have also pleaded guilty to related charges.

Korchemny and Valente were sentenced to probation, and the others were each sentenced to jail terms no longer than four months. Anderson remains in prison, where he returned after refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating possible perjury and tax evasion charges against Bonds.

The case is United States v. Ellerman, 07-0080.