Olympic Star Jones Plans Guilty Plea; Steroids

WHITE PLAINS, New York (Reuters) - Athletics superstar Marion Jones told a judge on Friday she would plead guilty to two felonies in connection with a steroid investigation, a decision that could cost her the five medals she won in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Earlier on Friday federal law enforcement sources said she would likely plead guilty to lying to federal investigators about her steroid use before the 2000 Olympics and to lying to federal agents about a separate check fraud case.

Jones would become the first athlete convicted in connection with a probe into the San Francisco-area laboratory BALCO, the center of a doping scandal that has tarnished the reputations of leading athletes in baseball, football and athletics.

After years of publicly denying using performance-enhancing drugs, Jones, 31, admitted to it in a letter she sent to close family and friends, The Washington Post reported, citing a source familiar with Jones's legal situation.

"I want to apologize to you all for all of this," Jones said in the letter, according to the Post. "I am sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways."

She could face three to six months in jail, according to reports in the Post and The New York Times.

Jones was appearing at U.S. District Court in White Plains, just north of New York City.