Before 12 time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte competes for the Mirror Ball on “Dancing With the Stars“, he first needs to make sure he doesn’t have to face jail time. The gold medal victor will be informed of the offence of “falsely reporting a crime” in the U.S. so he can decide how to mount his defence, according to a police statement, who have also recommended the International Olympic Committee’s ethics commission receive the document.
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During the games, Lochte initially said that he and fellow swimmers Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and Jimmy Feigen were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi by men with a police badge as they returned to the Olympic Village from a party August 15. Lochte has apologized for his behavior during the Rio Summer Games, following his disputed claim that he was robbed at gunpoint while on a night out with three teammates.
Lochte was charged with the crime of falsely reporting a crime, police said in a statement, adding that the case had been referred to the courts.
In a statement, Feigen had initially substantiated Ryan Lochte’s claims, leaving out parts that included urinating behind a building and ripping a framed poster.
“There was no robbery”, Rio de Janeiro Civil Police Chief Fernando Veloso said. However, when he rejected the offer, the judge increased the fine to $46,875. The police also released a CCTV footage of what transpired at the gas station. This quickly proved to be a massive lie, as surveillance cameras showed that the four men actually trashed a Rio gas station while intoxicated and refused to pay for any of the damages. He took full-responsibility for the happenings in Rio, saying he “over-exaggerated” the incident.
A security guard confronted the swimmers and took out his pistol and made them sit on the ground. “I gave them what I had in my wallet, which was a $20 bill, and Jimmy gave them 100 Reals which is about $50 in total”. Brazil and the United States have an extradition treaty, but Brazil typically does not extradite its own citizens to other countries, and the United States could also refuse extradition, AP explains. Legal experts say the US might adopt the same stance if Lochte is deemed guilty.
That is now the case of the head of Brazil’s football confederation, Marco Polo del Nero, who faces charges in the wide-ranging scandal entangling global soccer’s ruling body, FIFA.
Four major sponsors, including Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren, dumped Lochte on Monday, determining they no longer wanted their brands associated with the swimmer. Softish Throat Drops. Pine Bros. said people should be more understanding of the swimmer and said he will appear in ads that say the company’s product is “Forgiving On Your Throat”.
The US State Department said it was aware of the request.
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You might be asking yourself: Why would Pine Bros. sponsor Ryan Lochte in the middle of a controversy?
