Skip navigation
Site powered by
Latest news:
msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines: Clinton: Syria leader's 'rule by murder' must end

Feds might pursue Armstrong for doping, fraud

Investigators suspect USPS team money might have been used to buy drugs

NEW YORK - Federal authorities investigating accusations that Lance Armstrong and other top cyclists engaged in doping are looking into whether they should expand their probe to include other charges involving fraud, The New York Times reported on Tuesday night.

Investigators are particularly interested in whether money from the United States Postal Service, which sponsored Armstrong's team for nine years, was used to buy performance-enhancing drugs, according to the story on the newspaper's website.

The Times cited two people briefed on the investigation who were granted anonymity "because they did not want to jeopardize their access to delicate information."

Armstrong has repeatedly denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

Authorities also plan to look at the contract between Armstrong and S.C.A. Promotions, which refused to pay a $5 million bonus to the cyclist in 2004 after a book alleged he engaged in doping. The seven-time Tour de France champion sued the company and the case was settled out of court after hours of testimony under oath. S.C.A. was forced to pay $5 million and about $2.5 million in penalties.

Armstrong was accused of doping by former teammate Floyd Landis last week. In a series of e-mails sent to sponsors and sports officials, Landis also alleged Armstrong taught others how to beat the system and paid the former president of the International Cycling Union to keep a failed test quiet.

Armstrong denied the allegations and said Landis "lost his credibility a long time ago."

© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

advertisement
More news
Image: Boys playing football
AP file
Should parents let kids play?

The NFL's head injury issues are causing some parents of youth and high school football players to rethink whether football is safe enough for their children.

Focus on safety in youth, high school football

A few years ago, Omaha businessman Larry Hagan was watching a news report on concussions in high school sports and decided to do something.

Dos Santos stops Mir, keeps UFC heavyweight title

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Junior Dos Santos flattened Frank Mir with a huge right hand and finished him on the ground at 3:04 of the second round Saturday night, emphatically defending his heavyweight title at UFC 146 on Saturday night.

Timeline
US Lance Armstrong kisses a paper displa
The Lance Armstrong story
Timeline of major events in career of 7-time Tour de France winner.

NBCSports.com

Slide show
Image:
  The Week in Sports Pictures
A kayaker flips out, a racehorse eyes the Triple Crown and more.

more photos

Special feature
"American Woman: Fashioning A National Identity" Met Gala - Arrivals
When athletes and celebs get together
A look at the many links between sports and Hollywood stars.

NBCSports.com

Slideshow
Image: ROMNEY
  Presidential candidates and sports
How do Barack Obama and Mitt Romney stack up when it comes to their sports backgrounds?