Miguel Tejada Pleads Guilty to Lying to Congress in Probe of Steroid Use in Baseball

WASHINGTONMiguel O. Tejada, a Major League Baseball (MLB) player, has pled guilty to misrepresentations to a Congressional Committee (Committee) investigating the wrongful use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs in baseball. Tejada, 34, of the Dominican Republic, entered his misdemeanor plea to one count at a hearing in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia before the Honorable Magistrate Judge Alan Kay. When Tejada is sentenced on March 26, 2009, he faces up to one year in prison under the relevant statute, but under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, he faces a likely sentencing range of probation to six months in prison. At the time of the taking of the guilty plea, Tejada agreed with the facts set forth in the Statement of Offense, a document he signed and which was filed with the Court. According to the Statement of Offense, on August 26, 2005, Congressional Committee staff conducted a transcribed interview in Baltimore, Maryland, of Tejada in the presence of his attorney and a Spanish language interpreter. Although Tejada was not placed under oath, the Committee staff advised Tejada of the importance of providing truthful answers. As part of the August 26, 2005 interview, Tejada was generally questioned by Committee staff about, among other things, his knowledge of MLB players, including himself, discussing or using steroids and other banned performance enhancing substances. Tejada told the Committee staff that he never used performance-enhancing drugs and that he had no knowledge of other players using or even talking about steroids or other banned substances. Tejada admitted, however, that during the August 26, 2005 Congressional Committee recorded interview, he withheld pertinent information about his knowledge of a teammates use of steroids and human growth hormone, by refusing and failing to state fully and completely the nature and extent of his knowledge of discussions with other MLB players.