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Prosecutors close Lance Armstrong investigation. Liberals rend hair, gnash teeth and beat their children.
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Don't Mess With Texas
Feb 4, 2012, 4:17:50 AM2/4/12
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-
bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/04/SPGA1N303S.DTL
Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Lance
Armstrong on Friday, ending a nearly two-year effort to
determine whether the seven-time Tour de France winner and his
teammates participated in a doping program.
Armstrong has steadfastly denied he doped during his
unparalleled career, but the possibility of criminal charges
threatened to stain his legacy as the world's greatest cyclist
and could have cast a shadow over his cancer charity work.
"I am gratified to learn that the U.S. Attorney's Office is
closing its investigation," Armstrong said in a statement. "It
is the right decision and I commend them for reaching it. I look
forward to continuing my life as a father, a competitor, and an
advocate in the fight against cancer without this distraction."
The probe, anchored in Los Angeles, where a grand jury was
presented evidence by federal prosecutors and heard testimony
from Armstrong's former teammates and associates, began with a
separate investigation of Rock Racing, a cycling team owned by
fashion entrepreneur Michael Ball.
U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. announced in a news release that
his office "is closing an investigation into allegations of
federal criminal conduct by members and associates of a
professional bicycle racing team owned in part by Lance
Armstrong."
He didn't disclose the reason for the decision, though Birotte
has used discretion in pursing high-profile criminal cases
before. Last February, his office closed an investigation of
mortgage giant Countrywide Financial Corp.
The pronouncement comes after two less-than-successful cases
against top athletes accused of doping. Former Giants slugger
Barry Bonds was found guilty of obstruction of justice and
sentenced in December to 30 days' home detention - a conviction
he's appealing - but prosecutors were unable to convince a jury
that he lied about using steroids. Roger Clemens' steroids trial
is slated for April 17 after a judge declared a mistrial last
summer, ruling that prosecutors showed jurors inadmissible
evidence.
Investigators looked at whether a doping program was established
for Armstrong's team while, at least part of the time, it
received government sponsorship from the U.S. Postal Service.
Authorities also examined whether Armstrong encouraged or
facilitated doping on the team.
The hurdle for prosecutors wasn't so much to prove whether any
particular cyclist used drugs, but to determine if Armstrong and
other team members violated federal conspiracy, fraud or
racketeering laws. Unlike Bonds and Clemens, who testified
before a federal grand jury and Congress, respectively, and were
accused of lying under oath, Armstrong was not questioned in
front of the grand jury.
Armstrong won the Tour de France every year from 1999-2005.
Betsy Andreu, who with her husband and former Armstrong teammate
Frankie Andreu accused the cycling champion of doping, said she
was shocked by Birotte's decision.
"Our legal system failed us," she said. "This is what happens
when you have a lot of money and you can buy attorneys who have
people in high places in the Department of Justice."
Led by federal agent Jeff Novitzky, who also investigated Bonds
and Clemens, U.S. authorities sought assistance overseas,
requesting urine samples of U.S. Postal riders from France's
antidoping agency and also meeting with officials from Belgium,
Spain and Italy.
The investigation began after Novitzky was told about a cache of
PEDs found by a landlord in the vacated apartment of Kyle
Leogrande, a cyclist who rode for Rock Racing and had a doping
ban, according to several people familiar with the case.
bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/04/SPGA1N303S.DTL
Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Lance
Armstrong on Friday, ending a nearly two-year effort to
determine whether the seven-time Tour de France winner and his
teammates participated in a doping program.
Armstrong has steadfastly denied he doped during his
unparalleled career, but the possibility of criminal charges
threatened to stain his legacy as the world's greatest cyclist
and could have cast a shadow over his cancer charity work.
"I am gratified to learn that the U.S. Attorney's Office is
closing its investigation," Armstrong said in a statement. "It
is the right decision and I commend them for reaching it. I look
forward to continuing my life as a father, a competitor, and an
advocate in the fight against cancer without this distraction."
The probe, anchored in Los Angeles, where a grand jury was
presented evidence by federal prosecutors and heard testimony
from Armstrong's former teammates and associates, began with a
separate investigation of Rock Racing, a cycling team owned by
fashion entrepreneur Michael Ball.
U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. announced in a news release that
his office "is closing an investigation into allegations of
federal criminal conduct by members and associates of a
professional bicycle racing team owned in part by Lance
Armstrong."
He didn't disclose the reason for the decision, though Birotte
has used discretion in pursing high-profile criminal cases
before. Last February, his office closed an investigation of
mortgage giant Countrywide Financial Corp.
The pronouncement comes after two less-than-successful cases
against top athletes accused of doping. Former Giants slugger
Barry Bonds was found guilty of obstruction of justice and
sentenced in December to 30 days' home detention - a conviction
he's appealing - but prosecutors were unable to convince a jury
that he lied about using steroids. Roger Clemens' steroids trial
is slated for April 17 after a judge declared a mistrial last
summer, ruling that prosecutors showed jurors inadmissible
evidence.
Investigators looked at whether a doping program was established
for Armstrong's team while, at least part of the time, it
received government sponsorship from the U.S. Postal Service.
Authorities also examined whether Armstrong encouraged or
facilitated doping on the team.
The hurdle for prosecutors wasn't so much to prove whether any
particular cyclist used drugs, but to determine if Armstrong and
other team members violated federal conspiracy, fraud or
racketeering laws. Unlike Bonds and Clemens, who testified
before a federal grand jury and Congress, respectively, and were
accused of lying under oath, Armstrong was not questioned in
front of the grand jury.
Armstrong won the Tour de France every year from 1999-2005.
Betsy Andreu, who with her husband and former Armstrong teammate
Frankie Andreu accused the cycling champion of doping, said she
was shocked by Birotte's decision.
"Our legal system failed us," she said. "This is what happens
when you have a lot of money and you can buy attorneys who have
people in high places in the Department of Justice."
Led by federal agent Jeff Novitzky, who also investigated Bonds
and Clemens, U.S. authorities sought assistance overseas,
requesting urine samples of U.S. Postal riders from France's
antidoping agency and also meeting with officials from Belgium,
Spain and Italy.
The investigation began after Novitzky was told about a cache of
PEDs found by a landlord in the vacated apartment of Kyle
Leogrande, a cyclist who rode for Rock Racing and had a doping
ban, according to several people familiar with the case.
NoDannyNo
Feb 6, 2012, 8:46:34 AM2/6/12
to
On Feb 4, 4:17 am, "Don't Mess With Texas" <up-yo...@liberal-cock-
THE LANCE is superhuman. He destroyed an entire army of doped-up
cocksuckers in the TdF for 7 years on nothing but mineral water,
croissants, and Peet's coffee. It took a cheating, dope-steak eating
motherfucker to finally take him down when he was nearly 40 years
old.
cocksuckers in the TdF for 7 years on nothing but mineral water,
croissants, and Peet's coffee. It took a cheating, dope-steak eating
motherfucker to finally take him down when he was nearly 40 years
old.
atriage
Feb 14, 2012, 8:57:38 AM2/14/12
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