Feds Indict Roger Clemens for Perjury

Roger Clemens was indicted on multiple charges stemming from his testimony in front of a Congressional committee that he never used performance-enhancing drugs, federal authorities announced on Thursday.

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner faces one count of obstruction, three counts of making false statements and two counts of perjury stemming from the statements made in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and its investigators.

Clemens faces a combined maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine, although current sentencing guidelines would only put him in jail for 21 months if he is convicted.

Clemens repeatedly denied using performance-enhancing drugs in his sworn testimony in front of the Congressional committee in February 2008, statements that were contradicted by former friend and personal trainer Brian McNamee and former New York Yankees teammate Andy Pettitte, among others.

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Read Full Federal Indictment of Roger Clemens (PDF Download)

"Our government cannot function if witnesses are not held accountable for false statements made before Congress," United States Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. said in a statement. "Today the message is clear: if a witness makes a choice to ignore his or her obligation to testify honestly, there will be consequences."

Clemens reiterated on Twitter that he "never took HGH or steroids" and "hope people keep an open mind until [the] trial." His lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said at a news conference in Houston that he thinks "people are going to understand that sometimes the government is wrong and that they are in this case."

"I'm not surprised because I know the government worked very hard on this case," Earl Ward, one of McNamee's lawyers, told FanHouse. "It's been a long road. We were concerned that given the passage of time that this may have been treated with less significance. Quite frankly, lying to Congress is a serious offense."

Clemens and McNamee (pictured above, foreground) testified in front of the committee two months after McNamee alleged that Clemens had taken performance-enhancing drugs through his cooperation with former Sen. George Mitchell's report to Major League Baseball about PED usage.

Clemens responded by claiming that McNamee made the allegations up, and the two men testified on the same day before the House panel. McNamee cooperated with federal officials in 2008 to avoid steroid distribution charges.

Watch highlights of Clemens' testimony in front of Congress below: