Brazilian authorities have recommended American swimmers Ryan Lochte and James Feigen face charges of false reporting of a crime, according to reports Thursday, August 18, 2016 from ABC News and Brazilian outlet Globo News.
Lochte and Feigen, along with fellow U.S. Olympic swimmers Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, initially claimed on Sunday they were robbed at gunpoint by armed men posing as police. The athletes claimed officers confronted them in their taxi while stopped at a gas station in Barra da Tijuca, a western suburb of Rio.
Reports say the athletes have been “indicted” ― but while indictments in the U.S. indicate formal charges have been filed after a grand jury has determined there’s sufficient evidence to proceed, the term is used differently in Brazil.
BuzzFeed Brazil notes a Brazilian “indiciamento” is a “preliminary conclusion of the investigation by police,” after which prosecutors decide whether to pursue charges and a judge decides whether to validate the case.
The International Olympic Committee denied the robbery in question happened, and the swimmers’ claim soon unraveled after they gave conflicting accounts of the incident to authorities. Surveillance footage further contradicted the swimmers’ narrative and indicated they may have been drunk and disruptive.
News of the situation gained traction after Lochte, 32, allegedly lied to his mother about the nature of the ordeal and she repeated his account to the press.
Brazilian officials, citing surveillance footage from the gas station, said the Americans had vandalized a restroom and fought with a gas station security guard on the night of the alleged incident.
The gas station owner told the O Globo newspaper he directed the swimmers to the bathroom but that at least one of them urinated on the wall instead.
Reports differ on whether an armed security guard pulled a gun on the swimmers before police arrived, but Reuters reported the athletes paid for the damage on the scene in Brazilian and U.S. currency, leaving the equivalent of about $50.
Lochte on Sunday described the incident to NBC’s Bill Bush Sunday as such:
“The guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, ‘Get down,’ and I put my hands up, I was like, ‘Whatever.’ He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cell phone, he left my credentials.”
But on Wednesday, the 12-time Olympic medalist told Matt Lauer the gun was just pointed in his direction. Lochte also revised the lead-up to the scene, saying the swimmers had stopped at a gas station to use the bathroom when the incident occurred, after first claiming the armed men pulled them over.
