Victor Conte
Encyclopedia
Victor Conte is a former musician with Tower of Power
and founder and president of BALCO
, a sports nutrition center in California. He served time in prison in 2005 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroid
s and money laundering.
in the group Common Ground with cousin Bruce
(later of Tower of Power
fame) on electric guitar
. Victor Conte was a member of Tower of Power itself for a time later in the 1970s, playing bass guitar, and also collaborated during that period with pianist Herbie Hancock
and violinist Sugarcane Harris. At the time he had the nickname "Walking Fish
" from his days playing with the Pure Food & Drug Act
.
or BALCO, a sports nutrition center in Burlingame
, California
, which the United States Anti-Doping Agency
(USADA) says developed the banned steroid tetrahydrogestrinone
(THG) with the help of bodybuilding chemist Patrick Arnold
. Pursuant to a plea bargain struck with prosecutors, he entered guilty pleas in July 2005 to one count of conspiracy to distribute steroids and a second count of laundering a portion of a check, he was sentenced in October to spend four months in prison and another four on house arrest.
In December 2004, he participated in an interview with Martin Bashir
on ABC
's 20/20 program, where he admitted to running doping programs, which have broken Olympic
records, as well as revealing that: "The whole history of the games is just full of corruption, cover-up, performance-enhancing drug use."
In the interview he implicated, among others, five-time Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones
and her partner Tim Montgomery
, Kelli White
(who later admitted using performance enhancing drugs), British athlete Dwain Chambers
, and NFL player Bill Romanowski
.
On 21 December 2006, Yahoo Sports reported that one of Conte's initial defense lawyers, Troy Ellerman, had been targeted by the FBI as a possible source of leaks to the media during the Barry Bonds
probe. On February 14, 2007, Ellerman pleaded guilty to leaking grand jury testimony.
In May 2007, Conte claimed he was again supplying British athlete turned NFL Europa player for the Hamburg Sea Devils
, Dwain Chambers with nutritional supplements again, via his company Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning.
On December 13, 2007 Conte appeared on CNN
before the Mitchell report was officially released.
It was also reported that FBI agents were also the source of leaks.
On March 30, 2008, it was announced by the New York Daily News that Conte is scheduled to write "BALCO: The Straight Dope on Barry Bonds, Marion and What We Can Do to Save Sports" with co-author Nathan Jendrick
.
Conte is currently working with Zab Judah.
Tower of Power
Tower of Power is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section...
and founder and president of BALCO
Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative
The Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative was an American company led by founder and owner Victor Conte, a former bass player for the soul band Tower of Power. In 2003, journalists Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada investigated the company's role in a drug sports scandal later referred to as the...
, a sports nutrition center in California. He served time in prison in 2005 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroid
Steroid
A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
s and money laundering.
Tower of Power
In the 1970s, Conte played bass guitarBass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
in the group Common Ground with cousin Bruce
Bruce Conte
Bruce Conte is an American R&B / jazz fusion guitarist, known primarily for his work with the band Tower Of Power of which he was a member from 1972 to 1979, performing on seven albums and rejoining the band for live work briefly in 2006-7.-Biography:...
(later of Tower of Power
Tower of Power
Tower of Power is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section...
fame) on electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. Victor Conte was a member of Tower of Power itself for a time later in the 1970s, playing bass guitar, and also collaborated during that period with pianist Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
and violinist Sugarcane Harris. At the time he had the nickname "Walking Fish
Walking fish
Walking fish, sometimes called ambulatory fish, is a general term that refers to fish that are able to travel over land for extended periods of time. The term may also be used for some other cases of nonstandard fish locomotion, e.g., when describing fish "walking" along the sea floor.-Types of...
" from his days playing with the Pure Food & Drug Act
Pure Food and Drug Act (band)
Pure Food and Drug Act was a band that was formed in the early 1970s by Don "Sugarcane" Harris. The band began with Paul Lagos on drums, Larry Taylor on bass and Randy Resnick on guitar...
.
BALCO
He later founded the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operativeBay Area Laboratory Co-operative
The Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative was an American company led by founder and owner Victor Conte, a former bass player for the soul band Tower of Power. In 2003, journalists Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada investigated the company's role in a drug sports scandal later referred to as the...
or BALCO, a sports nutrition center in Burlingame
Burlingame, California
Burlingame is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame. It is renowned for its many surviving examples of Victorian architecture, its affluence, and...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, which the United States Anti-Doping Agency
United States Anti-Doping Agency
The United States Anti-Doping Agency , is a non-profit organization and the national anti-doping organization for the United States. The organization is charged with managing the anti-doping program for the U.S...
(USADA) says developed the banned steroid tetrahydrogestrinone
Tetrahydrogestrinone
Tetrahydrogestrinone is an anabolic steroid developed by Patrick Arnold. It has affinity to the androgen receptor and the progesterone receptor, but not to the estrogen receptor...
(THG) with the help of bodybuilding chemist Patrick Arnold
Patrick Arnold
Patrick Arnold is an American organic chemist responsible for creating the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone, also known as THG and "the clear". THG, along with two other anabolic steroids that Patrick Arnold manufactured , were drugs at the heart of the BALCO scandal...
. Pursuant to a plea bargain struck with prosecutors, he entered guilty pleas in July 2005 to one count of conspiracy to distribute steroids and a second count of laundering a portion of a check, he was sentenced in October to spend four months in prison and another four on house arrest.
In December 2004, he participated in an interview with Martin Bashir
Martin Bashir
Martin Bashir is a British journalist and media personality, currently with NBC News as a contributor for its Dateline program, and an afternoon anchor for MSNBC, hosting Martin Bashir...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's 20/20 program, where he admitted to running doping programs, which have broken Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
records, as well as revealing that: "The whole history of the games is just full of corruption, cover-up, performance-enhancing drug use."
In the interview he implicated, among others, five-time Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones
Marion Jones
Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
and her partner Tim Montgomery
Tim Montgomery
Timothy Montgomery is a former American athlete. In 2005, he was stripped of his records – including a now void 100m world record of 9.78 seconds set in 2002 – after being found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs...
, Kelli White
Kelli White
Kelli White is an American former sprinter. She won two gold medals in the World Championships in Paris in 2003. However, on June 18, 2004, she was stripped of her medals, because she tested positive on a drug test. She admitted guilt and testified before the Court of Arbitration for Sport...
(who later admitted using performance enhancing drugs), British athlete Dwain Chambers
Dwain Chambers
Dwain Anthony Chambers is an English sprinter of Afro-Caribbean descent. He has won medals on the international stage numerous times and is one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of recorded athletics. His primary event is the 100 metres sprint, in which he has the second...
, and NFL player Bill Romanowski
Bill Romanowski
William Thomas "Bill" Romanowski is a former American football player. He was born in Vernon, Connecticut. A linebacker, he graduated from Rockville High School in 1984, Boston College in 1988 , and then went on to a 16-year career in the NFL, playing for the San Francisco 49ers , Philadelphia...
.
On 21 December 2006, Yahoo Sports reported that one of Conte's initial defense lawyers, Troy Ellerman, had been targeted by the FBI as a possible source of leaks to the media during the Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
probe. On February 14, 2007, Ellerman pleaded guilty to leaking grand jury testimony.
In May 2007, Conte claimed he was again supplying British athlete turned NFL Europa player for the Hamburg Sea Devils
Hamburg Sea Devils
The Hamburg Sea Devils were an American football team that began play in NFL Europa from 2005 to 2007. They played their home games at Hamburg's AOL Arena . They played their first game on April 2, 2005 losing 24-23 to the Cologne Centurions...
, Dwain Chambers with nutritional supplements again, via his company Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning.
On December 13, 2007 Conte appeared on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
before the Mitchell report was officially released.
It was also reported that FBI agents were also the source of leaks.
On March 30, 2008, it was announced by the New York Daily News that Conte is scheduled to write "BALCO: The Straight Dope on Barry Bonds, Marion and What We Can Do to Save Sports" with co-author Nathan Jendrick
Nathan Jendrick
Nathan Jendrick is an U.S. author, lecturer, model, photographer and celebrity personal trainer.Jendrick has written several books, primarily with/for celebrities and notable personalities. His first book, Dunks, Doubles, Doping was a USA Book News Award finalist...
.
Conte is currently working with Zab Judah.