Prosecutor Jeffrey Finigan spoke during closing arguments in the trial of track coach Trevor Graham, 44, of North Carolina, whose athletes included disgraced track champions Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery.
Graham is accused of lying to investigators when he said he never set up his athletes with drugs from steroids dealer Angel Heredia, never met Heredia in person and didn't talk to him by phone after 1997.
Finigan told the jury that testimony by Heredia and five athletes as well as documents showed that Graham either got drugs directly from Heredia or referred athletes to him between 1996 and 2000.
He said the alleged lies were relevant to the investigation, which began with a probe of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, because Graham's statements delayed investigators in looking into possible perjury by Jones.
Jones later pleaded guilty to lying to agents about her use of steroids.
The trial began last week in the court of U.S. District Judge Susan Illston and the case could go to the jury as soon as this afternoon.
Defense attorney William Keane, who will give his closing argument later today, said at the start of the trial that Graham didn't lie when he denied setting up his athletes with drugs from Heredia. Keane also maintained the three statements lies were not relevant to the BALCO investigation.
