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Brazilian Judge Orders Ryan Lochte To Stay In Rio But Oops Too Late
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 17, 2016
Modified Aug 17, 2016
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 17, 2016
Modified Aug 17, 2016
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Things haven't been going so well for Ryan Lochte. First, the swimmer had some trouble with his hair. Then, he failed to medal in the 200-meter individual medley. Then, he apparently got robbed at gunpoint—except investigators in Rio aren't so sure that last thing actually happened, and a judge ordered that officials confiscate his passport while they suss out the details. Of course, ain't nobody can hold Lochte back, and he fled for the United States already. USA! USA! USA! JEAH!
Lochte claimed earlier this week that he was held up at gunpoint by men posing as Rio de Janeiro police officers, while in a cab heading back to the Olympic Village early Sunday morning. He was reportedly with fellow Team USA swimmers, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen at the time. "We got pulled over in our taxi and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge. No lights, no nothing, just a police badge," he told the Today Show, noting that they "cocked the gun" to his forehead. "They pulled us over, they pulled out their guns. They told the other swimmers to get down on the ground, they got down on the ground."
It's a harrowing tale, but it turns out it miiiiight not be entirely true. Police have reportedly found inconsistencies in Lochte's and Feigen's testimony; authorities were unable to locate their taxi driver or any witnesses, and surveillance video shows the teammates in good spirits after they returned to the village. Earlier reports also suggested the teammates were too intoxicated to remember the color of the car they were in or where the robbery occurred.
A Brazilian judge went so far as to order officials confiscate Lochte's and Feigen's passports—but Lochte's lawyer says he's already back in the United States. “I’m shocked to hear that they would go to such measures in an effort to further investigate the incident as he has been nothing but cooperative with authorities, including sitting for a full interview with the Tourist Police, U.S. State Department, USOC Security, FBI, and anyone else that requested to be present,” Lochte's attorney, Jeff Ostrow told TMZ. Well, that settles that.
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olympics
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Rebecca Fishbein
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