Rio police said in a statement they had recommended that prosecutors bring charges against Lochte for falsely reporting a crime – a minor misdemeanor normally punishable by a fine. The indictment will also be sent to the International Olympic Committee’s ethics commission, it said. According to The Chicago Tribune, Brazilian law sets the maximum penalty for filing a false police report at 18 months in prison.
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In a tweet on Thursday, Lochte said: “Thanks to all the folks at Pine Bros for your confidence in me”.
Feigen was allowed to leave the country after making an $11,000 donation to a Brazilian charity.
Lochte has since acknowledged he was highly intoxicated and his behavior led to the confrontation. It is not clear from the video whether a gun was ever pointed to the athletes. A formal document was expected to be sent to a US court asking for cooperation in summoning the swimmer to Brazil.
The charges in Brazil raise questions about the future for Lochte, who is planning to take time off from swimming but wants to return to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Lochte, 32, lost all four of his major sponsors on Monday, including Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren Corp, following his apology for an “exaggerated” story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro after a party.
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Earlier Thursday, NBC News reported that Lochte will be summoned to testify at a hearing in front of the Brazilian justice in the wake of the altercation in Rio. Softish Throat Drops – that says people should give the swimmer “a second chance” after he fell from corporate grace following a drunken incident during the Rio Olympics he tried to pass off as a robbery.
