In Brief : Canseco Aide to Pay Fine for Gun

DETROIT — A friend and employee of Oakland Athletics star Jose Canseco has been sentenced to a year’s probation and fined for carrying a concealed weapon. David Valdes, 24, said he pleaded guilty to spare Canseco embarrassment over steroids Valdes possessed at the time of the arrest.

“I wanted to protect his name,” Valdes said. “So, I pleaded guilty.” He was sentenced Tuesday in Recorder’s Court on the felony gun charge.

Valdes also said that the pills were his and that he didn’t know at the time that they were steroids. He was arrested Jan. 21 as he attempted to board a flight from Detroit Metro Airport with Canseco after a baseball card show in suburban Southfield. A loaded 9-millimeter semiautomatic revolver was found in Valdes’ possession.

In court, Valdes said he was carrying a gun “for the sake of my employer, and we had a very large amount of money.” Canseco has been dogged by allegations of steroid use but has denied using them.