Tejada charged with lying about drugs -May plead guily

02/10/09 3:40 PM EST
Tejada charged with lying about drugs
Expected to plead guilty in court Wednesday on steroid issue

By Alyson Footer / MLB.com

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HOUSTON -- Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada was charged on Tuesday with lying to congressional investigators about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, according to a published report.

The Washington Post reported that Tejada made misrepresentations to congressional staffers during an interview in a Baltimore hotel room regarding steroids in baseball.

Tejada is scheduled to appear at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., court officials told the paper. The charges against Tejada were outlined in documents filed in Washington federal court on Tuesday. The documents indicate that a plea agreement has been reached with Tejada, who is expected to plead guilty according to an ESPN report. The Astros have scheduled a 4 p.m. CT news conference for Wednesday at Minute Maid Park that will be aired live on MLB.com and attended by Tejada; his lawyer, Mark Tuohey; and Tejada's agent, Diego Bentz.

A call to Tuohey from MLB.com was not immediately returned.

Tejada is not being charged with lying about the allegations concerning his own steroids use, according to the Post. Rather, prosecutors are accusing Tejada of giving false statements about his conversations with another player, former Athletics teammate Adam Piatt, about steroids and human growth hormone.

According to the Post report, Tejada faces a maximum penalty of one year in jail, but advisory sentencing guidelines call for a sentence of probation to six months behind bars.

The charges arrive a little over a year after the House Committee on Oversight and Government reform asked the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into whether Tejada gave false statements to members of the same committee in 2005 about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

The allegations go back to 2005, when Rafael Palmeiro, Tejada's former teammate, attributed a positive steroid test on a vitamin B-12 injection allegedly administered to him by Tejada. Palmeiro gave that testimony while under investigation by the House Committee for possibly lying under oath about using performance-enhancing drugs.

No charges were brought against Palmeiro because the Committee couldn't find enough evidence to do so, although Tejada admitted during the investigation that he provided B-12, a known steroid masker, to Palmeiro and two other unidentified Orioles players.

In August of that same year, Tejada denied having used performance-enhancing drugs and said he was not aware of steroid use by others in baseball.

But the Mitchell Report, released in December 2007, suggests something far different. In the report, former Sen. George Mitchell said that Piatt, teammates with Tejada when they played with the Athletics, recalled providing steroids, testosterone and HGH to Tejada in 2003.

Piatt gave Mitchell cancelled checks from transactions he had with Tejada for a total of $6,300. A $3,200 check from Tejada to Piatt was dated March 21, 2003.

Alyson Footer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tejada pleads guilty to charge of lying

WASHINGTON -- All-Star shortstop Miguel Tejada pleaded guilty Wednesday to lying to Congress about the use of performance-enhancing drugs and admitted buying what he believed was human growth hormone.

Appearing before a federal magistrate, the 34-year-old starter with the Houston Astros admitted that he lied to congressional investigators who had asked about steroid use by major league ballplayers.

Tejada also acknowledged purchasing the drugs while playing with the Oakland Athletics.

He said he threw the drug away without using it. Prosecutors said they had no evidence to contradict his claim.

Tejada, who was born in the Dominican Republic, listened through headphones to a simultaneous Spanish translation to the court proceedings.

As he pleaded guilty, his voice cracked and one of his attorneys patted him on the shoulder.

The misdemeanor charge of making misrepresentations to Congress can lead to as much as a year in jail. But federal guidelines call for a lighter sentence.

Federal magistrate judge Alan Kay said he would sentence Tejada on March 25, which falls during spring training. The Astros are not scheduled to play an exhibition game that day.

The terms of the plea deal were outlined in a letter to Tejada's attorneys dated Feb. 5, and he was given a deadline of Feb. 23 to respond. "His guilty plea in this case may subject him to detention, deportation and other sanctions at the direction of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement," the letter said.

An agency spokeswoman said it individually reviews cases of legal permanent residents convicted of a crime to determine if they should be deported. She said the agency would not talk about Tejada's status because it doesn't discuss individual cases.

The judge asked Tejada whether he had used any alcohol or drugs, legal or illegal, in the last 24 hours that could affect his decision. Tejada answered softly, "Last night I took a couple of drinks." But he told the judge he wasn't currently under the influence of alcohol or drugs.


Tejada and his two lawyers declined to answer questions as they left the courthouse. They scheduled a news conference in Houston later in the day.

Tejada was the American League's Most Valuable Player in 2002 while playing for the Athletics.

Federal authorities also are investigating whether Roger Clemens lied to Congress when he denied using steroids or human growth hormone.

Charges against Tejada were detailed in documents filed in court Tuesday, a day after New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez acknowledged past use of performance-enhancing drugs. No charges have been filed against Rodriguez.

Clemens and Rodriguez are atop a list of drug-tainted stars that includes Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, whose actions cast doubt on their on-field accomplishments.

In the court papers, Tejada is charged with lying to investigators for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in 2005. Congressional staffers did not place Tejada under oath when they questioned him, but court documents say the investigators advised him "of the importance of providing truthful answers."

During the interview, Tejada denied knowledge of an ex-teammate's use of performance-enhancing drugs, though officials say Tejada bought what he believed to be human growth hormone from the player.

Tejada came under scrutiny after another ex-teammate, former Baltimore Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, testified before the House committee and declared that he'd never used steroids.

Palmeiro was suspended by baseball later that year after testing positive for steroids. He said the positive result must have been caused by a B-12 vitamin injection given to him by Tejada.

Shame on you Tejada