"A federal judge sentenced an impassive Barry Bonds to 30 days of house arrest Friday for obstructing justice during an investigation of steroids in sports, saying the slugger's grand jury testimony was evasive and illegal but did not warrant imprisonment.

In rejecting prosecutors' request for a 15-month prison term for baseball's all-time home run leader, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston cited Bonds' years of low-profile work for charitable causes, his lack of a criminal record, and the home-detention sentences she had issued to cycling star Tammy Thomas and track coach Trevor Graham, both convicted of perjury in the same probe.

"I think the jury got it exactly right here, that Mr. Bonds made an effort to obstruct justice," Illston said at the hearing in San Francisco. Nevertheless, she said, thanks in part to "intense and searching" press coverage, "the sports leagues themselves became concerned" and started cracking down on drug use.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella protested that Bonds' conduct was not a one-time lapse, but part of a history of cheating and deception - "years of performance-enhancing drug use, steroid use, lying about it to the media and other people."

Bonds is "well-versed at misleading people. He had mistresses throughout his two marriages," the prosecutor said. He called the house-arrest sentence "a slap on the wrist."

Illston replied that prosecutors had charged Bonds with multiple felonies but the jury convicted him of one count only."