Ryan Lochte has been in some hot water since he made allegations that he, as well as several other Olympic swimmers, were robbed in Rio. His troubles aren’t over, as Rio police have charged him with filing a false robbery report after finding evidence that his reports of the robbery were fabricated.
Ryan Lochte will be informed in the United States so he can decide whether to introduce a defense in Brazil or not. The indictment will also be sent to the International Olympic Committee’s ethics commission, authorities stated.
The spokesperson for Ryan Lochte, Melissa Nathan, stated that the Olympic swimmer had no comment at this time.
Summons are expected to happen very soon in the near future as the civil police in Brazil stated they will complete their investigation into his allegations sometime this week. Their findings will be sent over to state prosecutors who will then pass them on to a federal U.S law enforcement agency.
In an interview with People, Ryan Lochte admitted to and apologized for falsely claiming that he and the three other swimmers involved were robbed at a Rio gas station during the duration of the Olympic games.
A Brazilian judge had previously demanded the passports of Lochte and Feigen, one of the other swimmers involved, but Lochte had already departed the country at the time.
Feigen paid a whopping eleven thousand dollar “donation” to have his passport returned and charges dropped.
Bentz and Conger, the other two Olympic swimmers involved, were pulled off a plane that was heading back to the United States for questioning but were not charged.
“If he were my client, I would not advise Lochte to return,” says David Kubiliun of Greenspoon Marder’s criminal law practice group, who is not involved in the case.
“At this point, Lochte has nothing to gain and all to lose,” Kubiliun added.
Filing a false police report is not an extraditable crime unless Lochte were to be charged in Brazil that is listed in the extradition treaty between the United States and Brazil.
Lochte is already facing quite a bit of backlash, and there is no telling how much more is to come.
