Anti-Doping Agency Lobbies Obama DOJ to join Armstrong Suit

Anti-Doping Agency Lobbies Obama DOJ to join Armstrong Suit

Eric Holder has not announced if the Obama Justice Department will join the lawsuit filed by former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis, but he was sent a written request to join a whistle-blower lawsuit against Lance Armstrong on the same day the cyclist confessed in an interview to performance-enhancing drug use.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that USADA chief executive Travis Tygart wrote Holder on Jan. 14, urging him to join the civil case and telling Holder that “fraud and other crimes were committed” by Armstrong and other members of his former U.S. Postal Service teams.

Landis was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for doping and could collect a portion of the millions of dollars that Armstrong could be forced to pay if it is found that he committed fraud against his sponsor, the Postal Service.

The Associated Press attained a copy of the letter first reported Thursday by Velonews.com, which was sent the same day Oprah Winfrey interviewed Armstrong and he admitted to doping for the first time after years of denial. Armstrong would have to cooperate with USADA officials if he hopes to have his lifetime ban reduced.

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