Tony Bosch, a key figure in US baseball's largest doping scandal, pleaded guilty on Thursday to providing illegal performance-enhancing drugs to players who included New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez.
Bosch, 51, is the former director of Biogenesis, the south Florida anti-aging clinic pinpointed by authorities as a source of illegal testosterone and human growth hormone.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute testosterone before US District Judge Darrin P Gayle.
He could face up to 10 years in prison, but is likely to get a shorter sentence after cooperating with a Major League Baseball investigation.
Bosch reportedly admitted to supplying performance-enhancing drugs to Rodriguez and at least 12 other MLB players.
A total of 13 players, including Rodriguez, were suspended in 2013.
Rodriguez received an unprecedented 211-game ban while the other 12 were banned for 50 games.
Rodriguez's ban was eventually cut to 162 games. He missed all of the 2014 season, but is on course to return in 2015.
Six others face charges in the case, and Bosch is expected to testify against them.
"The message is clear: Cheating doesn't pay, and individuals like Bosch, who distribute performance-enhancing drugs to athletes and, more importantly, to our children, will be held accountable for their actions," Miami-based US prosecutor Wilfredo Ferrer said, noting that some of Biogenesis's customers were teenagers.
After entering his plea, Bosch was to be freed on bail, but he was required to attend a 24-hour inpatient program to treat cocaine addiction.
When not in treatment, he will remain on house arrest until he is sentenced on December 18.
Share
