WASHINGTON -- Roger Clemens' trial on perjury charges related to his denials in front of Congress that he used performance-enhancing drugs won't begin until July, a U.S. District Court judge ruled in a hearing on Wednesday."Wonderful," was the only word the seven-time Cy Young Award winner uttered as he hopped into a waiting SUV to escape the frigid temperatures and the dozen media members. Clemens' attorneys minutes earlier secured a delay of his trial -- originally set to begin in April -- so they could sift through the thousands of pages of evidence turned over by prosecutors.
"The government has had this evidence for two and a half years," Rusty Hardin, one of Clemens' attorneys, said as he lobbied for a September start date. "We need (more) time. We haven't yet retained any expert witnesses."
Those experts could those well versed in the examination of medical evidence, the existence of which was reference again during the 30-minute-long hearing. Those items could include the syringes and vials Clemens' former friend and personal trainer Brian McNamee turned over to federal authorities.
Jury selection is now set to begin on July 6. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Durham said in court that his side of the case could last as long as four weeks and Hardin said the defense could take up to two weeks.
Clemens, again in a pinstriped suit, sat between his two lawyers who said they will challenge the admissibility of the Mitchell Report, baseball's investigation of the steroids era that linked Clemens and dozens of players to the use of steroids and human growth hormone. Judge Reggie Walton scheduled a March hearing to rule on whether the evidence will be allowed in at trial.
Clemens was charged in August with three counts of making false statements and two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction related to his testimony in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in 2008. Clemens denied he ever used steroids or HGH, allegations made by McNamee.
Michael Attanasio, another Clemens attorney, said during the hearing that they will likely challenge at least one of those five counts as "duplicitous," meaning that they overlap and should be canceled out. As it stands, Clemens faces up to 21 months in prison and a fine of up to $1.5 million under current sentencing guidelines.
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