Hunter Said to Link Jones, Drugs

Marion Jones’ former husband has told authorities that she used performance-enhancing drugs during the time span when she won five medals at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, according to a source close to the case.

C.J. Hunter made these statements to federal agents exploring the possibility of bringing perjury charges against individuals linked to the BALCO case, the source said.

The San Francisco Chronicle, meanwhile, cited in today’s edition a federal memo in which Hunter told agents he witnessed Jones using human growth hormone, a steroid-like substance known as “the clear,” and the endurance-boosting drug EPO.

Jones’ attorney, Joseph Burton, dismissed Hunter’s account.

“C.J. Hunter has had an ax to grind ever since Marion Jones ended their marriage,” Burton said in a statement. He claimed that Hunter is trying to “exact his revenge by telling lies to the government.”

Hunter’s attorney, Angela DeMent, declined to comment other than to say her client “is continuing to cooperate with authorities.”

In addition to speaking with federal agents and testifying before a San Francisco grand jury, Hunter is known to have spoken with officials from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which has been investigating Jones for months.

USADA has not charged her with any doping violation. She has repeatedly denied the use of performance-enhancing drugs and was said to have passed more than 160 drug tests.

Travis Tygart, the agency’s chief counsel, declined to comment on reported meetings with Hunter.

“I will say, however, that USADA is extremely appreciative of all individuals who have come forward with relevant information ... and USADA is following up on every lead it has received,” he said.

As of Thursday, it remained unclear what use, if any, Hunter’s information would be to U.S. Olympic officials, who have stated their intent to send a clean team to the Summer Games in Athens next month.

Hunter, a former world-class shotputter, retired after testing positive for steroids on several occasions in 2000.

A source close to the BALCO criminal investigation said that the U.S. attorney’s office in San Francisco would need more than a “he said-she said” case to pursue charges of perjury.

According to the Chronicle, Hunter told investigators that Jones received the banned substances from her former coach, Trevor Graham, and from Victor Conte, founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative and the central defendant in the BALCO federal case.

Authorities have charged Conte and three other men with conspiracy to distribute steroids to dozens of athletes.

Neither Conte nor Graham, who is not a defendant in the case, could be reached for comment.

Quoting from the memo, the Chronicle reports that Hunter told IRS agent Erwin Rogers about Jones’ use of EPO in detail.

“Jones would inject herself in the front waistline area slightly underneath the skin,” the memo reportedly said. “Graham instructed Jones to inject herself in this area. Initially, Hunter injected Jones because Jones did not want to inject herself in this location.”

Hunter reportedly also gave details about drugs being transported to Australia for the 2000 Summer Games.

“Hunter stated that Graham carried the performance-enhancing drugs through Customs in his ‘bags,’ and he would have never allowed Jones to carry ‘anything,’ ” the memo says, according to the Chronicle. “Hunter recalled Conte instructed them to put ‘the clear’ in flaxseed oil to prevent detection.”

Jones’ attorney said this account contradicts statements made by her former coach, “who has supported everything Marion has said all along -- that she never used performance-enhancing drugs.”

Jones was the undisputed star of the Games in Sydney, winning gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and the 1,600-meter relay. She won bronze medals in the long jump and 400-meter relay.

Hunter told agents that by the end of 2001 or early 2002, Jones was using makeup to cover acne brought on by her use of the substances, according to the memo in the Chronicle.

“Hunter informed Special Agent [Jeff] Novitzky and I that we could find photographs of Jones during this period and we would see that she wore a lot of makeup,” IRS agent Rogers reportedly wrote.

“Hunter stated that prior to the acne problems stemming from the performance-enhancing drugs Jones ‘never wore makeup.’ ”

The couple separated in 2001 and divorced soon after.

Jones was expected to assume a prominent role in the Athens Games, but reports of the USADA investigation have shadowed her training.

She has been critical of USADA’s handling of the case.

While stressing again he was not commenting on any case in particular, Tygart said: “USADA is an independent agency precisely so it can be immune from such pressures. The simple fact is we carefully and thoroughly gather and review evidence before bringing any drug allegation or charge against an athlete.”

This month, at the U.S. Olympic trials in Sacramento, Jones earned a spot on the team by winning the long jump with one of the best performances of her career.

In the sprints, however, Jones looked sluggish. She finished fifth in the 100 meters and withdrew from the 200 meters after running poorly in her first heat.