Justice Dept. Sues Lance: 'Unjustly Enriched'

On Tuesday, the United States Justice Department sued Lance Armstrong, the disgraced cyclist who recently admitted to Oprah Winfrey this year that he had doped during all of his Tour de France titles and intimidated witnesses who had been telling the truth, alleging Armstrong was “unjustly enriched” from his sponsorship contract with the United States Postal Service. 

According to the Associated Press, Tuesday was the deadline for the Justice Department to formally file its complaint and join the whistleblower lawsuit originally brought by Floyd Landis, who had been Armstrong’s former teammate. 

The lawsuit alleges the the U.S. Postal Service paid Armstrong nearly “$17 million form 1998-2004.” In the contract, Armstrong agreed to abide by the rules set forth by cycling’s governing bodies, which banned doping. Legal experts have noted the “government must prove not only that the Postal Service was defrauded,” but that it was also “damaged.” The U.S. government reportedly may seek “triple damages assessed by the jury.”

According to reports, “the lawsuit also names former team Armstrong team director Johan Bruyneel and team management company Tailwind Sports as defendants.”