Disgraced cheat exits Texas prison

REUTERS

TEXAS. Former U.S. sprinter Marion Jones left a federal prison in Texas on Friday after serving a six-month sentence for lying to prosecutors about steroid use that helped her win five medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Jones, 32, left the minimum security facility in San Antonio, Texas, at 8 a.m. CDT (9 a.m. EDT), a prison spokeswoman said.

For years, the track star denied using performance-enhancing drugs but in October pleaded guilty to two charges of perjury and was sentenced in January by a federal judge in New York. Jones reported to prison on March 7.

She admitted she had lied to federal investigators in 2003 when she denied knowing that she took a banned substance before the 2000 Olympics.

Jones has been stripped of the Olympic medals.