Saturday, February 9, 2008

Former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski was sentenced to five years' probation yesterday for distributing steroids to athletes and money laundering, but his cooperation with baseball's probe into steroids and human growth hormone helped him avoid jail time.

Radomski, 37, had pleaded guilty last April to distributing performance-enhancing drugs to dozens of Major League Baseball players between 1995 and 2005. Federal judge Susan Illston ordered Radomski to pay $18,575 in fines and a $200 special assessment during his sentencing in San Francisco.

The hearing had been postponed twice to allow Radomski to provide information to former Senate majority leader George J. Mitchell's investigation into drug use in baseball, which was released in December. Federal prosecutors in San Francisco, who have led the five-year old steroid probe known as Balco, required Radomski to cooperate with Mitchell as a condition of their recommending a lenient sentence.

Assistant U.S. attorney Matt Parrella recommended yesterday that Radomski receive no jail time given the extent of his cooperation, which included providing Mitchell with dozens of checks from MLB players who purchased drugs from him.

"While this defendant committed a serious crime by illegally distributing anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, his cooperation with law enforcement was significant and assisted both the government and other anti-doping entities," U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello said in a statement.

Radomski's sentencing frees him to participate in Wednesday's hearing on steroid use in baseball in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. He will appear with former trainer Brian McNamee, who alleged he injected Roger Clemens at least 16 times with steroids and human growth hormone. Clemens, who has denied the allegations, also will attend the hearing along with pitcher Andy Pettite and former infielder Chuck Knoblauch.

-- Amy Shipley