No prison time for Bonds

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Baseball great Barry Bonds was sentenced to two years of probation Friday for providing false testimony in a federal steroid investigation.

The entire sentence includes the following: two years probation, 30 days house arrest, 250 hours of community service with youth groups and a 4,000 fine.

Bonds' attorneys indicated they will appeal and U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston indicated Bonds' sentence will be stayed through appeal. Bonds declined to speak in court.

U.S. Atty. Matthew A. Parrella strongly objected to the sentence, saying it amounted to "a slap on the wrist."

Bonds left the courthouse shortly before 12 p.m., navigating a large crowd of reporters without commenting. He waved to a few supporters, hugged others, then departed in a black SUV.

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The sentencing options were that Bonds would be confined to his home, imprisoned for 15-to-21 months or placed on probation.

Bonds, 47, was convicted April 13 of obstructing a grand jury's investigation. Prosecutors dropped three other counts of making false statements after the jury deadlocked on those charges.

Bonds was one of 30 athletes summoned before the grand jury that was investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative lab.

Prosecutors wanted Bonds to spend 15 months in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella argued that home confinement wasn't punishment enough, "for a man with a 15,000 square foot house with all the advantages." Bonds lives in Beverly Hills.

Bonds' attorneys will have two weeks to file an intention to appeal.

As a member of the Giants, Bonds set the all-time Major League home run record with 762 and the single-season Major League record for home runs with 73.

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