Armstrong will not face doping charges but under investigation for obstruction
Armstrong will not be prosecuted for doping – US official
WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong’s public admission that he took performance-enhancing drugs will not change U.S. prosecutors’ decision to spare him of criminal charges, an attorney who oversaw the federal investigation said on Tuesday.
The statement by André Birotte, the U.S. attorney based in Los Angeles, follows Armstrong’s confession in a televised interview last month.
“We made a decision on that case a little over a year ago. Obviously, we’ve been well aware of the statements that have been made by Mr. Armstrong in other media reports. That does not change my view at this time,” Birotte said at a news conference in Washington to announce an unrelated lawsuit against Standard & Poor’s.
The government will continue to look at the case, Birotte added, but Armstrong’s admission “hasn’t changed our view as I stand here today.”
In February 2012, Birotte said his office had closed its investigation into possible crimes by Armstrong.
Speculation about charges began anew after Armstrong reversed his past doping denials in an interview with talk show host Oprah Winfrey. He told Winfrey he used performance-enhancing drugs and doping in cycling tournaments.
Legal experts said Armstrong exposed himself to possible charges of perjury or obstruction of justice.
Separately, Armstrong faces a civil whistleblower lawsuit filed by former teammate Floyd Landis accusing Armstrong of fraud. The U.S. Justice Department has not said whether it intends to join the suit, and Birotte did not address the suit at the news conference.
Armstrong has been banned from cycling for life and stripped of race wins, including seven Tour de France victories.
A lawyer for Armstrong did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
(Reporting by David Ingram and Margaret Chadbourn; Editing by Philip Barbara)
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Lance Armstrong Under Investigation for Obstruction, Witness Tampering and Intimidation: Exclusive –ABC NEWS
Federal investigators are in the midst of an active criminal investigation of disgraced former Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, ABC News has learned.
The revelation comes in stark contrast to statements made by the U.S. Attorney for Southern California, Andre Birotte, who addressed his own criminal inquiry of Armstrong for the first time publicly on Tuesday. Birotte’s office spent nearly two years investigating Armstrong for crimes reportedly including drug distribution, fraud and conspiracy — only to suddenly drop the case on the Friday before the Super Bowl last year.
Sources at the time said that agents had recommended an indictment and could not understand why the case was suddenly dropped.
Today, a high level source told ABC News, “Birotte does not speak for the federal government as a whole.”
According to the source, who agreed to speak on the condition that his name and position were not used because of the sensitivity of the matter, “Agents are actively investigating Armstrong for obstruction, witness tampering and intimidation.”
An email to an attorney for Armstrong was not immediately returned.
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