Barry Bonds has been fighting the conviction of federal charges of felony obstruction of justice conviction, but on Friday he was sentenced. The result was 30 days in his Beverly Hills home and community service, but immediately after the sentence was handed down, the judge issued a stay for the appeal. So the judge's sentence will not take effect until after the higher court rules on his conviction.
The judge proceeding over the case directed her comments about Barry Bond's action in a very direct way. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston shared her point of view from the bench reflecting that she believed there was a crime committed.
"Mr. Bonds made an effort to obstruct justice here," said Judge Susan Illston. Adding that "he didn't manage to succeed."
As for the holidays Barry Bonds will be able to come and go from his mansion as he well pleases as the conviction is being reviewed in the legal process. It is possible that Bonds does start the 250 hours of community service in youth-related activities and pay the $4,000 fine, but then again maintaining his innocence, the player might decide to wait until the appeal process is exhausted.
This criminal trial has almost been five years of legal wrangling over the charges the federal prosecutors started in 2007 alleging Barry Bonds was lying to a grand jury. After the back and forth of the legal process, the fans of MLB Baseball and those who like Barry Bonds as a player have been watching a tug of war about his alleged use of enhancement drugs and knowledge of the substances.
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