Marion Jones released from federal prison

Sep 5, 2008 - 4:15 PM SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- Disgraced former Olympic champion Marion Jones was released from a federal prison on Friday after serving a six-month sentence for lying to federal prosecutors about her steroid use.

Jones, 32, left the minimum-security facility in San Antonio at approximately 9 a.m. local time.

Last October, Jones, a five-time medalists at the Sydney Olympics, pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements to federal agents after she lied to investigators about her steroid use and check-fraud scheme in 2003.

After vehemently denying steroid use for years, Jones said she had begun using the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG, in 1999 and continued to use it through the 2000 Olympics and until 2001.

As a part of that investigation, Trevor Graham, Jones' coach at that time who supplied her with the "the clear," as it is referred to in sporting circles, sent a sample to the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Prior to that, the federal organization could not detect it.

A three-time gold medalist at Sydney, Jones had all five of her medals stripped by her by the International Olympic Committee last December following her admission of drug use.

Jones also admitted to lying about her knowledge regarding Tim Montgomery's involvement in a check-fraud scheme.

The father of Jones' older son, Montgomery was convicted for his part in a scam to cash stolen and forged checks worth millions of dollars.