Victor Conte served four months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroids. Scott Wintrow / Getty Images

Victor Conte, the founder of Balco, the California lab at the center of a performance-enhancing drug scandal involving high-profile athletes like Barry Bonds and Marion Jones, died on Monday, according to a statement from SNAC, the nutrition company he began after serving prison time for conspiracy to distribute steroids.

He was 75 and had announced in June that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Founded in 1984 by Conte, the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative was initially a company that offered blood and urine analysis as well as legal supplements to assist athletes in their performance. In the 1990s, Conte began working with high-profile track and boxing athletes, including Jones. His operation expanded to baseball players in 2000, when trainer Greg Anderson introduced Conte to Bonds.

A federal investigation in 2003 found that Balco had orchestrated a performance-enhancing drugs distribution ring, selling steroids to standout athletes in baseball, track and field and boxing. When they were revealed to have been Conte’s customers, Bonds, Jones, and many others found their reputations tarnished. Others listed as customers included major leaguers Jason and Jeremy Giambi and boxer Shane Mosley.

Bonds was questioned by a grand jury during the investigation about receiving undetectable steroids called “the cream and the clear” from Anderson. “The clear” was a liquid steroid used under the tongue, while the testosterone-based cream was used to help mask the presence of steroids.

Bonds admitted that he received those substances from Anderson, but said that the two substances were described as flaxseed oil and an arthritis balm. Major leaguer Gary Sheffield testified that he received the “cream” and the “clear” from Anderson. Jason Giambi, the AL MVP in 2000, also testified to a grand jury that he had taken “the clear and the cream.”

Jeff Novitsky, the IRS agent in charge of the investigation, described Conte as a “used-car, snake-oil salesman guy, bull—- guy.”

In 2005, Conte served four months in prison for his role in the scandal, having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering. (Anderson entered the same plea.) The controversy was documented in the 2023 Netflix film “Untold: Hall of Shame,” which detailed how Conte tainted professional sports with his designer steroids.

After his release from prison, Conte founded Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning (SNAC), designed to help boxers improve their training through clean nutrition methods. He also became a vocal supporter of anti-doping efforts.

That Conte became a central figure in one of the defining sports scandals of this century seemed unlikely in the late 1970s. At that time, he was a bass guitarist for the R&B group Tower of Power. He appeared on the band’s 1978 album “We Came to Play!” He was also said to have played with Herbie Hancock.

“We are heartbroken by the passing of our fearless leader, SNAC mastermind, CEO, anti-doping advocate, creator of ZMA, former Tower of Power and Herbie Hancock bassist, Victor Conte,” SNAC said in a statement on social media. “We will honor his wishes. SNAC and his legacy will carry forward, strong and forever. We love you, Conte!”

Nov 3, 2025

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Jordy Fee-Platt is a Trending Writer for The Athletic. Before joining The Athletic, Fee-Platt was the Broadcasting and PR Associate for the Hudson Valley Renegades, High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. He has also been a writer and editor for Hoops HQ, a college basketball website. Jordy is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Cronkite School, where he covered Phoenix pro sports, including the 2023 World Series. He hails from San Francisco, CA. Follow Jordy on Twitter @jfeep