Friday, November 17, 2017
Brazilian court revives case against Olympian Ryan Lochte
Over the summer, it appeared Ryan Lochte had been cleared of criminal
charges in Brazil after he was accused of fabricating a story about getting
robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Olympics. On Friday, a
decision made by an appeals court that originally ruled the case should be
dismissed was reversed, according to USA Today, which cited Brazilian
newspaper O Globo. The ruling came after Rio's prosecutor's office filed
its own appeal.
"I'm disappointed that they're trying to take another shot at it," Lochte's
attorney Jeff Ostrow told USA Today. "I think they should just let it die
because they lost and because he didn't do anything wrong. But for whatever
reason, they want to try to save face and continue this charade, let them
do what they gotta do and we'll continue to fight it because we believe
we're right."
Ostrow said he will now attempt to halt further proceedings by filing his
own legal motion. If the case continues, Lochte could once again be facing
a sentence of one to six months in jail should he be convicted of a
misdemeanor offense of fabrication, although he would be unlikely to serve
it. The reason, according to CNBC, is that Lochte would need to be
extradited to Brazil, which would require U.S. cooperation. Under agreed
upon terms with Brazil, extradition only applies in the case of more
serious offenses, such as murder or rape.
Lochte's alleged offense was making up a tale inspired by a confrontation
between him and three other U.S. swimmers and security at a gas station.
After the incident, Lochte embarked on a media tour telling the world he
was robbed at gunpoint by criminals posing as Rio police. With Rio
authorities trying to downplay the city's crime rate, however, Lochte's
allegations sparked an investigation. Eventually security camera footage
revealed Lochte's story was untrue.
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