Victor Conte Dies at 75, Key Figure in MLB BALCO Steroid Scandal

Victor Conte, the founder of BALCO who later ran supplement company SNAC, died Nov. 3 at 75 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Conte’s Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative became central to one of the biggest U.S. performance-enhancing drug scandals after a 2003 FBI raid; he pleaded guilty in 2005 to distributing steroids and money laundering and served four months in prison, with high-profile athletes such as Barry Bonds and Marion Jones swept up in the probe. Earlier a bassist for Tower of Power and creator of the widely sold supplement ZMA, Conte reinvented himself post-prison as a nutrition specialist and anti-doping advocate who advised WADA/VADA and worked with elite boxers including Andre Ward, Terence Crawford, Claressa Shields, Devin Haney and others. His expertise in designing hard-to-detect steroid regimens fueled lasting skepticism—former investigators have publicly questioned his credibility—even as he provided information to authorities and drug-testing organizations. SNAC announced his death with a statement praising his leadership and promising to carry forward his legacy.