(Reuters) - Lance Armstrong could face the prospect of jail time and the repayment of millions of dollars following his reported admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career, legal experts said.
And the fallout from his confession to American talk show host Oprah Winfrey could also threaten the sport that made him rich and an inspiration to millions of people, with a top Olympic official warning about the sport's future at the games.
Already banned for life and stripped of all his race wins, including his seven Tour de France victories, Armstrong's problems may only just be starting.
CBS Television reported on Tuesday that the disgraced rider had offered to pay more that $5 million to the U.S. government in compensation for an alleged fraud against the U.S. Postal Service, which for years sponsored his cycling team.
The network also said he offered to cooperate as a witness in a U.S. investigation but the Department of Justice turned down his request, raising the prospect that he could yet serve time in prison.
"Having previously testified under oath and denying the doping allegations, Armstrong's admissions would make perjury or obstruction of justice charges a relatively easy charge for prosecutors," said Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago attorney.
The full extent of Armstrong's admission is yet to be revealed although U.S. media said on Monday he confessed to doping in an interview with Winfrey to be aired this week.
The talk show host confirmed the reports on Tuesday in an appearance on the "CBS This Morning" show.
"I'm sitting here now because it's already been confirmed," said Winfrey, who interviewed Armstrong for more than two and a half hours on Monday in a hotel in Austin, Texas.
PRESSURE TO CONFESS
It will not come as a great surprise that Armstrong's triumphant rides through the French Alps were fueled by more than natural energy. The mountain of evidence against him was already overwhelming and the pressure to confess was building.
From the moment it was announced last week he had agreed to the interview with Winfrey, it was widely expected the 41-year-old cancer survivor would make some sort of confession but even Winfrey was surprised by what he said.
"He did not come clean in the manner that I expected," she said, without elaborating on the specifics.
"For myself, my team, all of us in the room, we were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers.
"I didn't get all the questions asked, but I think the most important questions and the answers that people around the world have been waiting to hear were answered."
Armstrong's world began to crumble in October last year when the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a detailed report with sworn testimony from dozens of people that described him as the ringmaster of the "most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
Armstrong had always denied the accusations made against him, which involved the use of anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, blood transfusions and other doping.
If a damning confession emerges, Armstrong could face a range of legal challenges. A British newspaper is suing him to recover about $500,000 it paid him to settle a libel lawsuit and he could be forced to pay back amounts including $7.5 million to SCA Promotions, a Dallas-based company that paid him a bonus for his Tour de France wins.
No comments:
Post a Comment