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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted at 3:11 p.m., Friday, May 2, 2008

Courts: Seven elite athletes to testify Graham got them drugs

By PAUL ELIAS
Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Seven elite athletes once trained by Trevor Graham are scheduled to testify their former coach set them up with banned performance-enhancing drugs, according to government court documents filed today.

Graham's trial is scheduled to start May 19 in U.S. District Court in Northern California.

Graham has pleaded not guilty to making false statements when he told investigators he never obtained drugs from a Laredo, Texas weightlifter, Angel "Memo" Heredia. Heredia is scheduled to testify he and Graham had numerous telephone conversations about drugs.

Prosecutors placed 17 people on their witness list, including Calvin Harrison and Jerome Young, who won gold medals as teammates in the 1,600 meter relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Young later was stripped of his gold medal after testing positive a year before the games. Both sprinters will testify Graham helped them obtain performance-enhancing drugs, according to federal prosecutors.

Graham's former runners Antonio Pettigrew, Duane Ross, Garfield Ellenwood, Michelle Collins and Dennis Mitchell also are scheduled to testify that their coach helped and encouraged them to obtain banned substances.

The government does not intend to call Graham's most famous athletes, Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, but both disgraced runners still will loom large at Graham's trial.

Jones is currently serving a six-month prison sentence after admitting she lied to federal investigators about her drug use. Montgomery was indicted this week on heroin distribution charges.

"Mr. Heredia will testify that the defendant contacted him prior to the 2000 Olympics and specifically inquired about obtaining such illegal banned substances for Marion Jones," the prosecutors' filing stated. Prosecutors say Heredia gave Graham the drug EPO, a banned oxygen-booster, so the coach could give Jones the drugs before the 2000 Olympics.

Graham's attorneys have asked a judge to prohibit that testimony because the coach is only charged with lying about his relationship with Heredia. Graham's attorney William Keane didn't return a telephone call late Friday.