SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 23: FBI agents are focusing upon defence attorney Troy Ellerman as the source of leaks of grand jury testimony linking Barry Bonds and other top athletes to steroids, Yahoo Sports reported on Friday.

Larry McCormack, who worked as an investigator on the BALCO steroids case, told the website that Ellerman has been the subject of an FBI probe. McCormack said he was based in the same office as Ellerman at the time of the leaks.

McCormack told he performed investigative work on behalf of BALCO founder Victor Conte and said he told the FBI Ellerman relayed confidential grand jury information to a San Francisco Chronicle reporter in 2004.

“I felt it was wrong,” McCormack said of the leaks. “I said it was wrong from the get-go.”

Grand jury testimony, which was to remain secret, was published in the Chronicle and the words of Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and sprinter Tim Montgomery were used to link them to the steroid scandal.

The Chronicle reporters, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, wrote a book on the BALCO scandal. They face longer prison sentences for refusing to reveal the source of the leaked testimony than any served by the five men convicted in the BALCO scandal.

Michael Rains, the attorney representing Bonds, told Yahoo he does not believe Ellerman leaked grand jury information or transcripts, saying Ellerman would not have had access to some information reported by the Chronicle.—AFP