Posted on 04/23/2013 5:36:35 PM PDT by jazusamo
The Department of Justice said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that cyclist Lance Armstrong was "unjustly enriched" while he used steroids to win multiple Tour de France titles.
In the formal complaint, the Justice Department said they would seek triple damages against Armstrong, who admitted earlier this year that he doped to win his seven straight titles. The U.S. Postal Service paid some $40 million to appear as the title sponsor of Armstrong's team during six of those seven races.
"Defendants were unjustly enriched to the extent of the payments and other benefits they received from the USPS, either directly or indirectly," the complaint said, according to the Associated Press .
The Justice Department had previously announced its intention to join the lawsuit against Armstrong, brought by ex-teammate Floyd Landis. According to the government, Armstrong and his managers repeatedly insisted that the cyclist was not using steroids while being sponsored by USPS.
“The Postal Service has now seen its sponsorship unfairly associated with what has been described as ‘the most sophisticated, professionalized, and successful doping program that sport has ever seen,’" U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen said at the time.
"This lawsuit is designed to help the Postal Service recoup the tens of millions of dollars it paid out to the Tailwind cycling team based on years of broken promises. In today’s economic climate, the U.S. Postal Service is simply not in a position to allow Lance Armstrong or any of the other defendants to walk away with the tens of millions of dollars they illegitimately procured.”
The government needs to prove not only that Armstrong deceived them, but that the Postal Service was damaged by Armstrong's cheating.
Armstrong has been disqualified of all his competitive results dating back to August, 1998, and banned from life from competitive cycling.
Armstrong is also facing lawsuits from a Texas promotional company and the Sunday Times, a British newspaper that paid Armstrong half a million dollars to settle a libel lawsuit after reporting he had taken steroids.
To hell with his business. He belongs in jail for forgetting the "a" in "That's one small step for man..."
But think of all the Obama phones the recovered money could buy.
I am not here to defend Armstrong. What he did was wrong. He did it over a long period of time. He destroyed his own reputation. I am sad to see it. His present public opinion is well deserved.
If anyone is operating under the assumption that nobody but Armstrong was doing this, I think they’re kidding themselves. That doesn’t make it right, but if one guy who is doping beats another guy who is doping, how much injustice is there for the guy who came in second?
There is a segment of the public that thinks sports figures should be able to do whatever they want with their bodies. I don’t subscribe to that mindset.
As I said early on, I am sad to see what has become of Armstrong. He was probably a young kid when he first signed on to doing this. After a period of time, it just became normal for him.
It’s certain he has had this hanging over him for a long time. It’s now time to pay the piper.
Sad..., really sad.
I don’t think the government should be involved here. How much more does Armstrong need to be destroyed?
There must be something better our elected officials can do with their time.
“LA richly deserves to be sued by the Justice Department.”
Bull... The feds got plenty to do rather than sue a US citizen for his conduct over what, 10 years ago. I’d say the post office made its money off the endorsement. Holder probably wouldn’t touch him if he weren’t a normal white guy.
Nobody ever explained how he was tested and passed.... If his technology gave him an advantage then so be it.
I find it ironic that the Government is suing because of doping.
You can't lie to the government, but they can lie to us all of the time.
Yep, before they sponsored Lance, I didn't even know you could mail a letter.
Leni
The Department of Justice said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that cyclist Lance Armstrong was "unjustly enriched" while he used steroids to win multiple Tour de France titles.So what's that make both Obamas, both Clintons, Holder...
To quote Hillary Clinton: “Coulda, shoulda, woulda."
Sue him. Recover the money. He defrauded the Postal Service and the image of the PS and they’re now going to make his life a misery. I have no sympathy for the creep. The PS should never have wasted their funds sponsoring any sports figure, but now that this has blown up in their faces, they have no choice but to sue because fraud has occurred. I hope he loses a bundle just in his own lawyer fees.
My posts to this thread were not serious, because I can't take this issue very seriously. If Armstrong is telling the truth, then the much-publicized drug testing of top level cyclists has long been beatable. Apparently we cannot know who was using performance enhancers and who was not. If Armstrong beat the system, it's a good bet that others did the same thing. Were those big races really just competitions between companies that make performance enhancing drugs? Perhaps cycling fans could should learn to accept reality and adjust their enthusiasm appropriately: "Go, Team Clenbuterol!"
The whole thing just seems like a bad joke. But sure, sue Armstrong, sue the drug testers, sue 'em all.
You got that right, Mr. Civilizations. I saw that story on Fox News online and I just lost it.
These racist creeps are prosecuting a WHITE MAN for doing exactly what they have been doing for years.
They love poking sharp sticks in our eyes, and this is another one. It’s beyond outrageous, all the way to criminal, and the hypocrisy is beyond belief.
Sauce for the goose is no longer sauce for the gander, and all this disgusting, slimy crap has got to stop.
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