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Subscribe to RSSLance Armstrong faces serious new legal trouble: The Justice Department has joined one of his former racing teammates in suing him for using performance-enhancing drugs during the Tour de France. NBC Justice Correspondent Pete Williams reports.
Lance Armstrong faces a powerful new adversary -- the United States government.
The Justice Department notified a federal court Friday that it is joining one of his former racing teammates in suing him for using performance-enhancing drugs during the Tour de France.
The government signed on to a lawsuit filed two years ago by Floyd Landis, one of Armstrong's former Tour de France teammates who has already admitted cheating. Among its claims: Landis saw Armstrong store and then re-inject his own blood to boost his performance, and Armstrong twice gave Landis banned hormones before races.
The government’s legal theory in joining the lawsuit is that when Armstrong agreed to race for the U.S. Postal Service team a decade ago in the Tour de France, he defrauded the government, violating its strict ban on illegal drugs, all the while claiming he did not use them.
Though the government’s action presents a serious new legal threat to Armstrong, the Justice Department case is not foolproof: Legal experts say Armstrong could argue that his contract with the team owners never explicitly prohibited blood doping, and he could claim that he never signed any agreement directly with the Postal Service that banned the practice.
But if the government wins, Armstrong could face huge fines, because the Postal Service paid at least $30 million to sponsor his racing teams.
Armstrong's attorney, Robert Luskin, said in a statement Friday that the Postal Service had no losses deserving of compensation.
"Lance and his representatives worked constructively over these last weeks with federal lawyers to resolve this case fairly, but those talks failed because we disagree about whether the Postal Service was damaged," Luskin said. "The Postal's Services own studies show that the Service benefited tremendously from its sponsorship -- benefits totaling more than $100 million."
After denying for years that he cheated, Armstrong gave a general admission last month in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
"This issue of performance enhancers, to me, we're going to pump up our tires, put water in our bottles and, oh yeah, that, too, is going to happen. That was it," he said.
The cycling website Velo News reported this week that Travis Tygart, the CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency, wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder last month, urging the government to join the Landis lawsuit.
A decision by the Justice Department to join the case “in order to get to the bottom (or top) of this massive fraud would also be viewed by the press and public as necessary and legitimate,” the letter said.
Joel Saget / AFP - Getty Images
The cyclist's historic run of Tour de France championships made headlines, as did his fall from grace after being stripped of the titles in 2012.
This story was originally published on Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:58 AM EST
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My commute used to include a busy two-lane road that always had one of these d-bag "cyclists" with their spandex outfit, the bicycle seat going up their *ss, aerodynamic helmet, and probably shaved legs, just pumping along at 10 miles an hour with traffic backed up for a mile. They'd have a freaking bicycle path right next to them, but no, they had the right to be on the road. And God forbid they let traffic pass once in a while. And when I saw that an American was winning competitive bicycling, I didn't think it was any less gay or retarded. The only wrongdoing here is making this relevant. And if you are an avid cyclist exercising your right to be on the road going 10 miles an hour in rush hour traffic, I pray to the Lord Jesus that a teenage girl on the way home to her trailer texting her gangsta boyfriend turns you into a C4 quad. Have a nice day.
Baseball did not ask their roid stars to refund their salaries. Nor did teams have to forfeit victories. Only restriction is from further play, endorsements, and resistance to admit to HOF for retired roid stars. Cheater Lance is getting the collective book thrown at him, now all this legal action to impoverish him. This is clearly a double standard.
Meanwhile, J. Corzine is sitting pretty after presiding over defrauding thousands of investors out of millions of dollars. Real theft. No time.
One man owns 4 out of 5 daily newspapers in NYC. The Justice Department should go after the FCC, this is b/s.
Doesn't the justice department have more important things to do? I guess not! The worse government system in america is the justice department and they are right up there with the FDA and EPA. America! I don't know what else to say.
GOOD ! I hope they take him to his knees and all the money he stole !! He didn't earn it honest !SCUM BAG !!!! What goes around comes around You smug scum bag
Who cares about a bunch of peanut helmet wearing peddling dolts. Although, this should show all Amercians that the best way to keep a drone from dropping the big one on your head is to have some money tucked away for a payoff.
There must be nothing better for the Justice Dept. to do. what a waste of time.
Funny why won't the DOJ go after real people causing trouble like say the Black Panthers and their many escapades?
WHY hasn't the Fed, et al, gone after the BANKS and WALL STREET, in just as robust fashion?????????
Mr. Armstrong has embarrassed American ethics no more than the Banks and Wall STreet have embarrassed us all throughout the world. DISGRACED US ALL~!
The ENDLESS lessons of the "If you don't get caught it's okay". is what drives our kids today, to emulate the worst of us rather than the best. Gawd, I am so sick of the corruption and the glamorizing of it.
Crime in all its facets is being taught day in and day out by our Congressman, maybe unwittingly? By not standing for what is best, they condone what is worst.
Enough. Just plain enough!
How ironic... our government is going to join in this law suit over $30 million given to a now broken man (who they made almost double the money off of), who came clean, lost all of his titles, and had a moment of honesty, yet they choose to "bail out the crooked banks with "BILLIONS" of dollars, Still cannot get the budget straight and are wanting to borrow "Trillions" more which we will be paying back for the next 30 plus years in taxes. I think this is another perfect example of "hey look over here while we pick pocket your taxes for the next 3 generations"
Plain and simple..want to avoid prosecution return what you took from the USPS...$30 mil...all is forgotten, and we will just pt an asterisk in the record books****won by using PED's.... Title Stripped....done!
A narcissist never admits to wrongdoing...
This "narcissist" really has your panties in a bunch huh?
I hope you hold crooked bankers' and politicians' feet to the fire, with such conviction.
So....a guy that raised millions upon millions for cancer research, is being sued for using some drugs
@!$%# off america, your stupidity hurts the world
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? This is the way our Federal Government spends our tax dollars. What a joke. Who cares about Lance Armstrong anymore? He's old news. The sponsors made millions of dollars. Our government should be spending their efforts to reduce the national debt, or here's another thought, work on a balanced budget? Oh right, that's not "sexy" enough. That wouldn't make headlines or get a headshot online or in the paper.
More wasted time and resources... but would you expect anything different?
Floyd Landis was the start of this whole doping scandal.ever since he got caught and lost his TDF victory he is blaming everyone else.should have been a man like the others who got caught...take your ban and come back in a year or two.but not him...lets screw the sport and all the riders because he got caught.now our gov't...who bleeds the USPS to possible death... has to get involved...why???????
I'm amazed and disappointed that the USPS ever sponsored anything, they lose billions every year and yet they sponsor a bunch of dopers on bikes. Wow!
For the love of PETE! And we wonder if our mucked-up government has it's priorities in order? Jeez! 17 TRILLION, no budget in 4+ years, still no resolution on our southern border....but hell, let's get involved in Armstrong's post testicular cancer steroid abuse. Makes me PUKE! again I ask, what are WE paying these do-nothing wimps in Washington for? When will the Bastille be stormed? Or does this country just implode, dropped to it's knees without firing a shot? Death by over-spending...like someone on a 24-7 McDonalds diet...slow but inevitable death.
Floyd Landis was the start of this whole doping scandal.ever since he got caught and lost his TDF victory he is blaming everyone else.should have been a man like the others who got caught...take your ban and come back in a year or two.but not him...lets screw the sport and all the riders because he got caught.now our gov't...who bleeds the USPS to possible death... has to get involved...why???????
Lessons Learned:
Don't cheat by taking drugs and by all means do not go on the Oprah Show and spill your guts.
This is as silly as all the time and money spent on steroid in baseball. The federal govt doesnt need to wade into these affairs. Let them sort it out themselves.
What a waste of effort - the USPS made more than it spent that's why it did it. Why doesn't the justice department go after the criminals that lie on their background investigations? 95% of those folks aren't even charged. Of course that would be beneficial to someone other than the lawyers.
it's not about his cheating, it's about his money.
This has now passed ridiculous.
Bigger criminals exist in this country, and they are going ignored, even AIDED by the government.
You fools who sign on to this, are doing exactly what the government wants you to do.
Ignore the true destroyers of this economy, and country.
Ignorant sheep, looking to punish Lance Armstrong because he hurt your feelings.
Yet you still bank with the same institutions whose greed tore families apart, and threatened/still threatens to tear the country apart.
This country is full of idiots.
Mr. Holder and Mr. Tygart, I feel that your push to have our federal government join the Floyd Landis whistleblower suit is the wrong course of action. I truly believe your message of protecting clean athletes can not stay untarnished when you are asking our government to get involved and basically take over a case where the person in question Floyd Landis is a convicted criminal(fraud), a cheat, and a liar. Mr. Lanids will gain greatly from this lawsuit both publicity wise and finacially. I truly beleive you and the federal government are making a grave ethical mistake.
Crooks going after the crooked. Twas ever so. Twill ever be. I'm glad to see him getting trashed because he's a major egotist and he has stepped on many, many people - I have no problem with everyone wanting a piece of his butt now. I feel a little sorry for his kids, but the flak they are getting is all his fault as well.
I do wonder one thing - how many other athletes this? I mean, the Chinese Olympic teams pass off adults as teenagers, and you have to wonder if they don't also do some of manipulating of the oxygen in the blood and other measures. I guess it's not even to have the athletes train at high altitude anymore to increase their oxygen capacity - now they actually manipulate the blood directly.
The entire world has lost its mind.
LADY M
Since when can you use food stamps to buy anything other than food? You can't even buy diapers with food stamps.
Where there's a will, there's a way and people sell food stamps for less than face falue for cash and that is how they do it. Usually they sell them for .50 on the dollar. So don't ever think that they are only for buying food.
Terry, you are so wrong. Food stamps and the food stamp credit cards are being used at casino's, resort's and so many other things and the government will not stop the abuse or stop issueing to those people. In fact with Obama, food stamp use/abuse has grown about three times, what is was.. They also need to random drug test and those that come up dirty, lose their monthly allotment.
The going price in my area is .50 on the dollar too.
What is more serious ? Armstrong's using PFD's or E. Holder's "Fast and Furious" scheme/crime, which caused the death hundreds of people and a Border Patrol Officer ? I think the DOJ should rethink it's attitude on criminal activity and charge others for crimes i.e. gun running across border's, etc.