A judge in Brazil ordered the athletes’ passports seized, but Lochte is reportedly already back in the U.S.
Advertisement
The plot thickened when American swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were barred from leaving the country by Brazilian officials, and now Lochte has slightly changed some of the details he had previously shared about the incident. According to the police in Brazil, there may not have been a robbery at all. Feigen is believed to still be in Brazil. Ryan Lochte and Jimmy Feigen were ordered to stay in Rio three days after they said they were robbed at gunpoint.
NBC reported Wednesday night that Lochte backed off some of his earlier claims.
“We are gathering further information”.
But the athletes were not there. Lauer recounted that Lochte said his account to the police was “casual, friendly, and vague”, and that the police never expressed suspicion about his story. Brazilian judge Keyla Blank pointed out that the athletes seemed to be unshaken and nearly jovial in the video – not the emotions one would expect from people who just survived being robbed at gunpoint. Police say they have asked the driver to come forward.
United States Olympic Committee officials said earlier Wednesday that they could not disclose Feigen’s location due to standard security protocols. But Lochte, one of swimming’s biggest stars, has already returned to the United States, his attorney Jeff Ostrow told CNN.
The elder Lochte said his son’s Olympic credential and cell phone weren’t taken during the incident early Sunday morning, Rio time.
“He left for the United States as he was planning to after he completed his events”.
“He was never asked to remain for further investigation or for any other goal after he met with Brazilian authorities after he gave a statement”.
“We stand by what he provided in that interview and signed off on”. He said more information is being gathered.
Judge Blanc De Cnop noted that Lochte had said a single robber approached the athletes and demanded all their money (400 real, or $124).
The office of Judge Keyla Blanc said in a statement that there were discrepancies in Lochte and Feigen’s statements.
“He arrived back before the judge issued anything”, he said. A spokesman for the International Olympic Committee initially said the report of a robbery was “absolutely not true”.
Lauer concluded by sharing Lochte’s response to speculation that he and his fellow swimmers made up the robbery to cover up some illicit activity or embarrassing behavior that would have possibly gotten them in trouble.
CNN is unable to authenticate the video.
Whether Ryan Lochte and three other American swimmers were robbed at gunpoint or not during a Sunday night out on the town in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Olympics, the controversy developing around Lochte’s retelling of the alleged crime has suddenly become a referendum on the safety of these entire Games. So far, only one had done so, she said.
Advertisement
Word of the robbery initially created confusion between Olympic and USA officials.
