Mar 7, 2008 6:30 pm US/Pacific
Ex-Track Star Marion Jones Begins Prison Sentence
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) ―
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Disgraced track star Marion Jones began serving her 6-month prison sentence on March 7, 2008.
AP
Marion Jones has begun her six-month sentence in federal prison for lying to investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs and her role in a check-fraud scam.
A Federal Bureau of Prison spokeswoman says the former track star turned herself in before noon Friday at Federal Medical Center Carswell, located on the Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base.
Under the terms of her sentencing, she had until Tuesday to surrender to prison officials.
Although the prison specializes in medical and mental health services, it also has inmates who do not require such care. Billingsley said she could not comment on whether Jones was receiving specialized care.
Jones won three gold and two bronze medals in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, becoming perhaps the most famous and marketable female athlete in the world.
After frequently denying ever having used performance-enhancing drugs, Jones admitted she had lied to federal investigators in November 2003. Jones also admitted lying about her knowledge of the involvement of Tim Montgomery, the father of her older son, in a scheme to cash millions of dollars worth of stolen or forged checks.
Marion Jones was sentenced in January to six months in prison and 400 hours of community service in each of the two years following her release, despite beseeching the judge that she not be separated from her two young children "even for a short period of time."
"I ask you to be as merciful as a human being can be," said Jones, who cried on her husband's shoulder after she was sentenced.
She was sentenced to six months on the steroids case and two months on the check fraud case, but was permitted to serve those sentences concurrently.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas said he gave her the maximum under the plea deal to send a message to athletes who have abused drugs and overlooked the values of "hard work, dedication, teamwork and sportsmanship."
"Athletes in society have an elevated status, they entertain, they inspire, and perhaps, most important, they serve as role models," Karas said.
"As everyone can imagine, I'm very disappointed today," Jones told reporters outside court. "But as I stood in front of all of you for years in victory, I stand in front of you today. I stand for what is right."
"I respect the judge's order, and I truly hope that people will learn from my mistakes," added Jones.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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