Jan 31, 2008 3:44 pm US/Pacific
New NorCal US Attorney May Recuse From Bonds Case
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ―
The new top federal prosecutor for Northern California said Thursday his office will continue to pursue witnesses who lie, but hinted he may be unable to play a direct role in Barry Bonds' perjury case because of a possible conflict of interest.
In a question-and-answer session with reporters, U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello did not offer specifics about the possible conflict. He said Justice Department ethics officials have decided he should be recused from a number of unspecified cases and investigations because of his previous work in private practice, financial investments and other issues.
"I can't discuss why, what the circumstances would be because there are issues of confidentiality," he said.
Russoniello said he couldn't discuss pending cases, but did touch on the Bonds' case without naming it.
"This office has for years prosecuted people who lied before the grand jury, who testified falsely in giving statements to federal investigators and I think it will be very robust in continuing to do that," Russoniello said. "We expect them to tell the truth, whether they're celebrity or ordinary folk."
Russoniello previously served as U.S. attorney from 1982 until 1990, when he went into private practice. He replaces Kevin Ryan, who was fired in the now-infamous purge of eight U.S. attorneys by the Bush administration.
Ryan, who was sworn in Jan. 4, oversaw the federal steroids investigation known as BALCO, which has ensnared a number of elite athletes, including Bonds. The former San Francisco Giant is awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice charges. Bonds, like several other BALCO defendants, allegedly lied to a grand jury about whether he used performance enhancing drugs.
Russoniello said it was a shame steroid abuse by elite sports had to end up in the federal criminal justice system. He blamed the leagues for not doing a better job policing their players.
"The notion that some athlete or a team gets an unfair advantage because of the use of any kind of aid is abhorrent," he said. "But it's really the sport's responsibility, especially in the professional ranks, to take appropriate actions to discourage that behavior and to punish it when it occurs."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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