Miguel Tejada, the Astros shortstop, pleaded guilty last February 17 to one count of making misrepresentation to congress. He was forced to plead guilty because of the testimonies of other players and other controversial personalities in baseball like Kirk Radomski. It was Radomski who allegedly supplied Tejada with performance enhancing drugs through his teammate Adam Piatt.

Tejada’s lying to Congressional inquiry which was then headed by Senator George Mitchell, will definitely put him in prison. Under the law, his misrepresentation is punishable with a year in prison. The judge is expected to hand down the sentence on March 26.

However, Tejada is lucky as he got some help from the justice department. U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeffrey Taylor, wrote the federal judge a memorandum stating that Miguel Tejada should not be imprisoned for making false statements about steroids to Congressional investigation.

Jeffrey Taylor wrote a sentencing memorandum to Federal Magistrate Judge Alan Kay that Tejada should receive probation. He said that Tejada was remorseful on what he had done during the inquiry. “Defendant has expressed appropriate remorse and contrition for his offense,” Taylor said. “He understands the seriousness of it. Mr. Tejada poses a minimal risk of recidivism and, based on his public statements, appears to have learned a difficult and important life lesson from his experience in this case,” he added.

It was also noted in the memorandum that Tejada had no previous criminal records. His impoverished childhood was also mentioned in the memo. Tejada came from poor community in the Dominican Republic but it did not hinder him to become one of the stars in baseball. Taylor said that Tejada has given back to the community in which he was raised.

Tejada’s case is not actually lying about his steroid use but the issue is about his knowledge of steroid use in baseball. His testimony that he doesn’t know and ask any player using steroids and human growth hormone was contradicted by Adam Piatt. Piatt told investigators that Tejada asked him where he can purchase steroids. That was way back in 2003.

He was pinned down further when Piatt asserted that Tejada even ask him to purchase performance enhancing drugs. Piatt purchased these PED’s from Radomski who at that time is working at the Mets clubhouse as an attendant. Kirk Radomski told former Sen. George Mitchell during the congressional inquiry that he had supplied steroids and human growth hormone to Tejada and dozens of ballplayers in MLB.

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