I just Googled BALCO, it says it's basically a supplement shop that was investigated by the Feds.
Jones didn't give a statement or info to the FBI, he gave info to USADA.
So can USADA broker snitching ? I don't think it works that way.
They can't give him guarantees cause they have no authority.
All they can do as far as I know is do tests, flag fighters and give out "punishment" that the UFC may or may not abide by. But as far as I know they can't enforce anything unlike the Athletic commission.
USADA will 100% share information with the feds and work in conjunction with them in anything like that.
Feds do the legal stuff, IRS do the paper trail, USADa handle the sporting aspect.
As long as one of the three get the conviction everyone is happy.
Balco was very much a joint investigation. USADA covering the sporting aspect, Conte's customers such as Marion Jones etc, while the IRS and Feds handled the financial and trafficking side. Everyone shared information to everyones benefit.
Same with Armstrong case, that was a federal enquiry. Armstrongs charity petitioned senators to shut it down and they squashed it on superbowl weekend. So Novitizy used the information they had gathered and the interviews and leveraged the people involved into talking to USADA instead. So while the federal case got scuppered, instead USADA took it over as a sporting case.
(thats a lot of the reason Jeff left the feds, that case getting shut down was ten barrels of bullshit)
but feds, IRS and USADA have a lot of contact and frequently work together. If information given to one can help another they will share it. If one path of investigation gets blocked (like the armstrong case), then they will use another path of investigation using a different body.
If for instance Jones gave info on NFL trafficking ring, that would involve USADA, IRS and Feds..
Feds would handle the trafficking side, IRS would do the financial side, and USADA would ban everyone involved from sport.
If Feds couldnt get their case to stick they would help the IRS get their case, if they couldnt they would both help USADA hand out sporting penalties.
As long as someone gets it they are happy. theres more than one way to skin a cat