Barry Bonds’ fate is in the hands of 23 anonymous Bay Area grand jurors who for the past year have reviewed evidence against the Giants slugger.
Thursday, they are expected to meet at the Phillip Burton Federal Courthouse and could decide whether to indict Bonds for perjury and tax evasion. Federal prosecutors need a simple majority–12 jurors.
But don’t expect to see Bonds handcuffed and escorted from AT&T Park by U.S. marshals. Because he is not a flight risk, legal experts said, it is doubtful the U.S. Attorney’s Office would issue an arrest warrant. Bonds’ lawyer would most likely receive a summons in the mail asking Bonds to appear before a federal judge to establish bail.
“I hope they would not be so insane that they would think they had to physically take this man into custody,” said Michael Rains, Bonds’ criminal attorney.
If Bonds is indicted, his bail hearing would probably be within three weeks. Before he appears in court, the U.S. marshal’s office would fingerprint and photograph him. A U.S. probation department officer would interview Bonds to prepare a bail evaluation study.
Once bail is set, the case would be assigned a court and a judge would schedule pre-trial hearings. The government and Bonds’ attorney also might begin discussing a plea bargain.
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Also, according to reports, Greg Anderson, the ballplayer’s personal trainer, is being released from federal prison on Thursday, coinciding with the expiration of the grand jury.
Anderson, who was charged with contempt of court because he declined to testify before the grand jury, was told he would be free Thursday, according to Paula Canny, a Burlingame lawyer and close friend of the trainer.