Lance Armstrong subpoenas those who testified against him
Lance Armstrong's lawyers want those who testified against him in his doping case to appear in court as he fights $100m whistleblower lawsuit
Lance Armstrong said that he wants to "try and make it right", but is sending subpoenas to those who testified he doped to win seven Tour de France titles.
As part of his defence in a $95.7m (£63.2m) US Government whistleblower lawsuit, Armstrong has been sending out subpoenas to those that helped bring him down. The subpoenas demand testimonies, documents and sworn statements that were used against Armstrong in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) cases.
Former team-mate Frankie Andreu received one and others are reportedly next.
"This shows that Armstrong will stop at nothing to continue the Armstrong lie," Andreu's wife, Betsy Andreu told the New York Daily News.
"This is nothing more than payback. It's to be burdensome and to hassle us. But you know what, in the end, it's just stupid."
Lance Armstrong: I'd probably dope again
According to the article, Armstrong's lawyers are trying to determine how the FDA's Jeff Novitzky unearthed the evidence against their client. If they can prove he obtained them illegally, they can ask that it is thrown out of the Justice Department whistleblower case.
Under the False Claims Act, a whistleblower lawsuit allows citizens to sue on the behalf of the government. Penalties can reach three-times the amount defrauded, or nearly $100m in Armstrong's case.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The US Postal Service sponsored the Texan’s team from 1996 to 2004. Based on the USADA case files from 2012 – which saw Armstrong banned and stripped of his seven Tour titles – he and senior team members cheated the government and its tax payers.
USPS gave $31.9m to the team from 2001 to 2004, according to an ESPN article in 2012, which opens Armstrong and his co-defendants up to $95.7m (£61.2m)
Armstrong's former right-hand man, Floyd Landis kicked off the suit. He rode with Armstrong from 2002 to 2004 and won the 2006 Tour with team Phonak. Officials stripped that win after he failed a testosterone test days later.
When Armstrong turned his back on Landis, Landis turned on his former leader. He spoke with Novitzky in the initial FDA case and filed the whistleblower lawsuit on behalf of the US Government in 2010.
His co-defendants, agent Bill Stapleton and business partner Barton Knaggs, reportedly agreed in December 2014 to settle and pay the US Justice Department $500,000 and Floyd Landis' attorney $100,000.
Armstrong continues to fight, however. He told the BBC that he "would try to make it right" to those he wronged, but his subpoenas appear as revenge.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
I'm about to turn 40 - how can I keep riding fast?
Approaching a landmark birthday, Charlie Graham-Dixon explores how ageing affects cycling performance and what can be done to stay ahead of the curve
By Charlie Graham-Dixon Published
-
Life Time Grand Prix to have fewer riders and wild cards in 2025
The flagship US gravel series has confirmed the six races that will be a part of the competition next year
By Adam Becket Published
-
Bradley Wiggins joins Lance Armstrong for Tour de France podcast
The former Tour de France winner will be appearing on The Move for the next week
By Adam Becket Published
-
Anti-doping investigation reveals riders could still be manipulating the system to avoid detection
Full report from Operación Ilex reveals that lack of overnight and weekend lab testing in Spain makes performance enhancing drugs increasingly difficult to detect
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Lance Armstrong plays astronaut on reality TV show; does he have the right stuff to win?
Lance Armstrong, the disgraced pro cyclist, is one of 12 celebs competing for the title ‘brightest star in the galaxy’ on Fox' Stars on Mars
By Greg Kaplan Published
-
Eight of the best cycling films streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and iPlayer
The best cycling-related films and documentaries available to watch online
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
-
F1 star Valtteri Bottas spotted out riding with Lance Armstrong
Alfa Romeo driver joined controversial American for Colorado spin on Sunday
By Adam Becket Published
-
'I think doping might actually be more popular': Mixed reviews as Lance Armstrong gets into the NFT game
If there's one thing worth reading this weekend, it's the replies to Lance Armstrong's tweet about acquiring an NFT
By Jonny Long Published
-
'I was almost dead': Jan Ullrich speaks out on his recovery on Lance Armstrong's podcast
The former Tour de France winner spoke about how finding friends in Armstrong and others after re-adopting a healthy lifestyle
By Tim Bonville-Ginn Published
-
Seven things we learnt from the new Lance Armstrong documentary
The 48-year-old sheds new light on the biggest doping scandal in sporting history, and is as combative as ever
By Jonny Long Published