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Lochtegate: Ryan Lochte Indicted By Rio Authorities For False Crime Report [Breaking]

By Niki Cruz
Published on: 10:45 PST, Aug 18, 2016

U.S. Swimmers Ryan Lochte and James Feigen have been officially indicted for falsifying a report of an alleged crime. According to ABC News, it’s been officially confirmed that both Lochte and Feigen were indicted by the Federal Police of Brazil after saying they were held up by people pretending to be police officers, during a night out on the town in Rio.

If they are found guilty, Lochte and Feigen will have to pay a fine, but would not face any jail time for this particular crime.

Originally, Lochte publicly stated that he and the swimmers were held up on Sunday morning while driving in a taxi. Lochte and Feigen told U.S. Olympic Committee officials, “their taxi was stopped by individuals posing as armed police officers who demanded the athletes’ money and other personal belongings.”

During an on camera interview Loche told Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush of the ordeal, saying that he had a gun pointed in his “general direction” which was slightly different from when Lochte told Matt Lauer that he had a gun cocked to his head. Immediately after the initial report came out, Brazilian officials questioned the authenticity of the story, and said that there were “inconsistencies” with the report. It was also mentioned that the swimmers had an “attitude” which was caught on a security camera at a gas station.

In response, Loche told Matt Lauer the following.

“I wouldn’t make up a story like this nor would the others. As a matter of fact, we all feel it makes us look bad. We’re victims in this and we’re happy that we’re safe.”

Although Ryan Lochte made it home to the U.S., fellow swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were pulled off of their flight for questioning. As the Inquisitr reported, Brazilian police officials commented on the swimmers’ demeanor.

“They [the American swimmers] had no intention to cooperate.”

As for Feigen he is still in Brazil.

The USOC has released a statement on the allegation.

“The three U.S. Olympic swimmers (Bentz, Conger and Feigen) are cooperating with authorities and in the process of scheduling a time and place today to provide further statements to the Brazilian authorities. All are represented by counsel and being appropriately supported by the USOC and the U.S. Consulate in Rio.”

In addition, Fernando Veloso, who is the head of Rio de Janiero’s civil police, said that two of the swimmers confirmed that the robbery report was false.

Veloso went on to say the following.

“No robbery was committed against these athletes. They were not victims of the crimes they claimed.”

So if Ryan Lochte and the swimmers weren’t held at gun point, then what happened? Well, it’s reported that the taxi they were in pulled into a gas station and the swimmers were seen on tape walking around the gas station. It was reported that some of the athletes trashed the bathroom, broke mirrors, and damaged the condition of the room before attempting to leave.

When they were approached by security a confrontation happened. Security asked the taxi that was driving the athletes not to leave, and another person stepped in to intervene. Police officials did state that a security guard pointed a gun at them, but that the confrontation was squashed, and the athletes left money for the damage.

According to L.A. Times, additional footage at the gas station shows the swimmers were “in another area of the station. One has fallen onto his back and is helped up by a teammate. The four then sit on a curb and could be seen in animated conversation with a person out of view of the camera. One of the swimmers appears to retrieve something from his pocket and hold it out. The video shows passers-by on the street and another employee walk casually into the area without showing much reaction to the situation.”

[Photo by Martin Meissner/AP Photo, File]

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