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Lance Armstrong Names Names in Doping Whistleblower Lawsuit

As Part of Whistleblower Lawsuit, Lance Armstrong Lists Names of Those Who Supported Doping

whistleblowerAfter insisting he would never “rat out” fellow teammates that allegedly supported his doping during his long cycling career, Lance Armstrong filed court documents on Wednesday, April 9th, in which he named those who supplied him with performance-enhancing drugs as part of the whistleblower lawsuit against him.

Former cycling teammate Floyd Landis brought the whistleblower lawsuit forth in 2010, alleging that Armstrong defrauded the US government by doping while under contract with the US Postal Service as one of his sponsors during the Tour de France. Armstrong was sponsored by the US Postal Service during many of his Tour de France wins, and he claimed the entire time that he was not using performance-enhancing drugs. Finally, during an interview with Oprah Winfrey in January of this year, Armstrong broke down and admitted that he had used performance enhancers while cycling on behalf of the US government, with US taxpayer dollars.

Reportedly, Armstrong accused Colorado Springs cycling coach Chris Carmichael of knowing that Armstrong was doping as part of his training regime, and did nothing about it. Armstrong said he informed Carmichael about the doping regime in 1995, and Carmichael agreed to coach Armstrong to be part of the 1996 Olympics, knowing that Armstrong was cheating.

In a statement to The Gazette on Friday, Carmichael said, “I have never participated in a doping program, not with Lance Armstrong or anyone else. My role as a coach has always been to inspire athletes to be the best they can be by focusing on training, nutrition and innovations in equipment and sports science.”

Among his other whistleblower lawsuit answers, Armstrong alleged that four people provided him with performance-enhancing drugs: trainer Pepi Marti, Dr. Pedro Celaya, Dr. Luis Garcia del Moral and Dr. Michele Ferrari. He said the drugs were delivered to him by bike mechanic Julien de Vriese, motorcycle driver Philippe Maire and a masseuse named Emma O’Reilly.

Armstrong, who still refuses to testify to his drug use in front of the US Anti-Doping Agency, insisted that he never paid anyone for the drug coverup.

“Armstrong has not paid or offered to pay someone to keep his or others’ doping a secret…However, Armstrong has, on occasion, provided benefits or made contributions to many people and institutions, some of whom may have been aware of, or suspected Armstrong’s use of performance-enhancing drugs and banned methods. Armstrong never provided any such benefits or contributions with the intent for it to be a payoff to keep doping a secret.”

In his rebuke of the whistleblower lawsuit, Armstrong claims that the postal service should have known that he and some of his teammates were doping. Allegations that Armstrong and others used performance-enhancing drugs have been in the news for years, but US officials “did nothing.” Armstrong’s sponsorship deal with the postal service began in 1995, and was continually renewed.

The Strom Law Firm Protects Whistleblowers in South Carolina

If you have direct knowledge of fraud against the government and believe you have a qui tam or whistleblower case, whether it is against a for-profit long term care facility, a technology corporation, or financial institution, the attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. We offer free, confidential consultations so you can discuss the facts of your case with impunity. Contact us today. 803.252.4800

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