Under Brazilian law, the penalty for falsely filing a crime report carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison.
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Speedo was the first to drop the 12-time Olympic medalist after he lied to Rio police about being robbed at a gas station with three US swimming teammates.
The lie Lochte told cost the Olympian his sponsorship deals – including from Speedo and Ralph Lauren – and he is also expected to face sanctions from U.S. Olympic Committee and the U.S. swimming federation.
He was among four USA swimmers that initially claimed they had been robbed at gunpoint when returning to the Olympic Village, before closed circuit television footage emerged of the men vandalising a petrol station following a night out.
The swimmer later amended the details of his story and apologised for his drunken account.
Lochte, 32, won one gold medal at the Rio Olympics.
The three other swimmers were questioned by police before they were allowed to leave Brazil. Jeffrey Ostrow, Ryan Lochte’s lawyer, told CNN he has not heard from Brazilian authorities.
Brazilian police said no such crime took place and that Lochte was in fact responsible for vandalising a gas station as he came home drunk from a party.
The decision comes days after Lochte said his original story about being held up at gunpoint in Rio with three other USA swimmers was “overexaggerated” in an interview with Brazil’s main broadcaster, Globo. CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee hinted that there will be more repercussions to follow for Lochte and the other swimmers.
And Brazil has been somewhat lax about upholding its end of the bargain – Marco Polo del Nero, the head of Brazil’s soccer federation, is now wanted by US authorities on racketeering and money laundering charges.
Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops said on Friday it had signed Lochte for an advertising campaign.
Pine Bros. says Lochte should be forgiven. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
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“Just as Pine Bros.is forgiving to your throat, the company asks the public for a little forgiveness for an American swimming legend”, the company said in a statement, according to NBC.
