After the incident, Lochte originally claimed he and his teammates were robbed at gunpoint.
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The punishment was handed down by the US Olympic Committee and United States Swimming.
Lochte will also be made to perform 20 hours of community service, while Bentz will serve 10, having violated a USA Swimming Olympic Village curfew rule placed on athletes under the age of 21.
Lochte had said he and his teammates Jimmy Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, who have also been slapped with suspensions, were robbed and held at gunpoint at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro in August 2016 after the end of Olympic swimming competition.
The Brazilian police accused Lochte last month with claiming a false robbery, but he hasn’t said if he’ll go back to Brazil in order to defend himself.
The site said three other swimmers involved in the escapade were suspended for varying periods up to four months.
Lochte’s suspension is four months longer than Michael Phelps’ suspension for DUI in 2014.
Among other penalties, Lochte is barred from competing in domestic and worldwide USA Swimming national team competitions for 10 months, making him ineligible for the 2017 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest.
Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte has finally received his punishment for the Rio debacle.
‘Each of the athletes has accepted responsibility for his actions and accepted the appropriate sanctions, ‘ Blackmun added.
Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte is officially banned from swimming competitions for the next 10 months and has to forfeit $100,000 in bonuses. While Lochte apologized for the misunderstanding, he still said a gun was pointed at him during the incident.
A swift and stiff suspension had been expected by International Olympic Committee and international sports officials because of Los Angeles’ bid for the 2024 Olympic Games.
They will also be stripped of funding and access to training.
FINA, swimming’s worldwide governing body, announced Thursday it would take no further action against the four, calling the suspensions already meted out “proportionate, adequate and sufficient”.
U.S. gold medal swimmer Ryan Lochte is suspended over a scandal at the Olympics in Rio.
But Lochte has a reason to be hopeful about the future and to come back in the public eye – he is a cast member on this season’s Dancing With The Stars, which premieres this upcoming Monday.
“It’s our responsibility to take action that reflects the seriousness of what happened”, USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus said.
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Lochte might be hoping his DWTS gig will take some of the attention away from his Rio snafu.
