Jury begins deliberations in Graham case

A jury began its deliberations on Tuesday in the case of Trevor Graham, the athletics coach whose anonymous tip helped spark the largest doping scandal in sports.

Graham, former coach of sprinters Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery and Justin Gatlin, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of lying to federal agents investigating the BALCO doping case.

The 44-year-old Jamaican-born American is not charged with distributing steroids but with lying about his relationship with a former Mexican athlete who testified that he sold performance-enhancing drugs to Graham and athletes coached by him.

Graham could face up to 15 years in prison and $750,000 in fines if convicted of all charges.

"This is a very simple and straightforward case," assistant US Attorney Jeffrey Finigan told the jury in his closing argument.

"When federal agents come to speak with you, if you choose to speak with them, you tell them the truth," Finigan said. "He (Graham) knew who was coming, he knew exactly why they were coming."

Finigan said Graham's lawyers had requested immunity from speaking with prosecutors.

"The only caveat was that he had to tell the truth," he told the jury.

Court-appointed defence attorney William Keane argued that Graham's comments to the agents were not material to the prosecution's cases against BALCO, the California company at the centre of the scandal, or 2000 Olympic gold medallist Jones, who was coached by Graham at the time. Jones, who has admitted to lying about her use of steroids, is currently in federal prison.