By Daniel Trotta
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Athletics superstar Marion Jones likely will plead guilty on Friday to lying to federal investigators about her steroid use before the 2000 Olympics, federal law enforcement sources said, which could strip her of the record five medals she won in the Sydney Games.
Jones would be the first athlete convicted in connection with the San Francisco-area laboratory BALCO, which is at the center of a doping scandal that has tarnished the reputations of leading athletes in baseball, football and athletics.
After years of publicly denying using performance-enhancing drugs, Jones, 31, admitted to it in a letter she sent close family and friends, The Washington Post reported, citing a source familiar with Jones's legal situation.
In the letter Jones said she took the steroid known as "the clear" for two years beginning in 1999 but believed it to be flaxseed oil.
"I want to apologize to you all for all of this," Jones said in the letter, according to the Post. "I am sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways."
The New York Times, citing two lawyers connected with the case, said she was expected to plead guilty to one count of making false statements to federal agents about her use of steroids and one count of making false statements in a check fraud case.
She could face three to six months in jail, the news accounts said.
Two federal law enforcement sources, each speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed she was expected to plead guilty on Friday, when she was scheduled to appear at U.S. District Court in White Plains, north of New York City
More on http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0440201320071005
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Athletics superstar Marion Jones likely will plead guilty on Friday to lying to federal investigators about her steroid use before the 2000 Olympics, federal law enforcement sources said, which could strip her of the record five medals she won in the Sydney Games.
Jones would be the first athlete convicted in connection with the San Francisco-area laboratory BALCO, which is at the center of a doping scandal that has tarnished the reputations of leading athletes in baseball, football and athletics.
After years of publicly denying using performance-enhancing drugs, Jones, 31, admitted to it in a letter she sent close family and friends, The Washington Post reported, citing a source familiar with Jones's legal situation.
In the letter Jones said she took the steroid known as "the clear" for two years beginning in 1999 but believed it to be flaxseed oil.
"I want to apologize to you all for all of this," Jones said in the letter, according to the Post. "I am sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways."
The New York Times, citing two lawyers connected with the case, said she was expected to plead guilty to one count of making false statements to federal agents about her use of steroids and one count of making false statements in a check fraud case.
She could face three to six months in jail, the news accounts said.
Two federal law enforcement sources, each speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed she was expected to plead guilty on Friday, when she was scheduled to appear at U.S. District Court in White Plains, north of New York City
More on http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0440201320071005