I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area when Barry Bonds’ father, Bobby, was playing for the SF Giants. Bobby and his teammates, including legends such as Willie Mays (Barry’s Godfather) and Willie McCovey, were great sportsmen. I can’t believe that young Bobby didn’t learn the fundamentals of life from his Dad, his Godfather, et al. One of those fundamentals is: Tell the truth!

Now Barry has been indicted. For what? Using steroids? NO! For lying to the Grand Jury about using steriods. Scooter Libby and Martha Stewart were each sentenced to prison (Libby was spared the incarceration only by a Presidential pardon) for lying to the investigators, not for the conduct the investigators were investigating.

Yes, I know that Barry is entitled to the presumption of innocence. The public reports, however (see http://howappealing.law.com/ for a summary) paint a bleak picture. Barry has been indicted because, at the very least, he looks to the Feds as if he lied.

The moral of the story is that one must NEVER lie to government investigators. Don’t even give them a reason to THINK that you are lying. If they ask you questions about things you don’t want to disclose, just keep your mouth shut. Don’t get cute. Don’t try to finesse. Don’t think you can tell only part of the story. The investigators are professionals who know how to trap you. Tell them you don’t want to talk to them. If they persist in their questioning, tell them you are not going to say anything else until you have conferred with counsel. Period!