Athletics: Conte Accepts 4 Months in Prison

Some of the world's leading athletes will be breathing a huge sigh of relief after the founder and owner of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative last night agreed to a plea bargain that will see him serve only four months in prison.

As part of the agreement to plead guilty to the distribution of banned anabolic steroids and money laundering, Victor Conte does not have to assist the FBI with their investigation into anyone else allegedly involved in the affair, including the 2000 triple Olympic gold medallist Marion Jones.

Conte, who is accused of supplying steroids to top athletes, agreed before a court hearing in San Francisco to admit to a single count of conspiracy to distribute steroids and a single count of laundering a portion of a cheque.

In return, he accepted four months' imprisonment and four months' home detention with a further two-year suspended sentence. He will also have to pay an unspecified fine.

Conte's plea bargain means that those he accused of taking banned substances will be spared a court case that was due to start on September 6.

"We are pleased with the terms of the agreement and believe it represents a fair result in this case," said Conte's lawyer Ed Swanson.

Conte's co-defendants have also been talking with prosecutors about potential deals, including Remi Korchemny, the Ukrainian-born coach who was working with Britain's Dwain Chambers when he tested positive for banned drugs under a programme allegedly devised by Conte.

The case involving Conte sparked the biggest doping scandal in the history of sport.

Conte could still face further legal action if Jones pursues the $25m (£14m) civil suit filed last December claiming he damaged her reputation by accusing her of using performance-enhancing drugs in a bid to help himself with federal prosecutors.

In the lawsuit filed in mid-December, Jones alleged that Conte tarnished her reputation when he accused her in a television interview of using performance-enhancing drugs. Jones has repeatedly denied that she took banned drugs.

Conte's plea may have come too late for Tim Montgomery, Jones's partner and the former 100 metres world record holder, whom he also claimed he supplied with banned drugs, a claim Montgomery strongly denies. He is facing a life ban after appearing before a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing in California last month despite never having tested positive. A verdict is expected soon.