Professional Cycling For the Fans - ESPN Report: Armstrong probe widens

Looks like the stuff is really going to hit the fan next week.
New report with one extra savory bit...

"Former Armstrong teammate Tyler Hamilton has met with the grand jury and more riders are expected to meet with the grand jury as early as next week, the sources said, according to the report."

Per ESPN:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/story?id=5439369

Plus this: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/sports/cycling/05armstrong.html?hp

Plus this: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/sports/cycling/05armstrong.html?hp

Ouch. That's got to be damaging to Armstrong. Very damning article.

Unless immunity is being handed out I would guess they are all taking the 5th or saying no doping. I also wonder how the 5th amendment would apply in a case like this. Since if you say there was doping, it probably happened in another country where it is also against the law, can you be force to testify in the US to something that would incriminate you in a crime outside the US?

Complaint about ESPN. Why did a 3 week race through France get much less attention then Lance's potential criminal case. I get that it is big news but so was that little bike race that you did not seem to care to cover.

I've said it before here - what a waste of Federal resources. I see alot of major criminal activities in my job that don't go anywhere because the US Attorney doesn't have the time to pursue claiming they are overworked and understaffed. But they have time to look at this chicken sheet.

I've said it before here - what a waste of Federal resources. I see alot of major criminal activities in my job that don't go anywhere because the US Attorney doesn't have the time to pursue claiming they are overworked and understaffed. But they have time to look at this chicken sheet.

Novitsky wants Johnnie Cochran notoriety. So far it's working.

Unless immunity is being handed out I would guess they are all taking the 5th or saying no doping. I also wonder how the 5th amendment would apply in a case like this. Since if you say there was doping, it probably happened in another country where it is also against the law, can you be force to testify in the US to something that would incriminate you in a crime outside the US?

Once you are being paid with US government money (the US Postal Service), it does not matter where (locality) the conspiracy/crime was commited.

I am not a lawyer, though I play one on BikesForum.net, so take my lawyerly comment with a grain of salt:D

Once you are being paid with US government money (the US Postal Service), it does not matter where (locality) the conspiracy/crime was commited.

I am not a lawyer, though I play one on BikesForum.net, so take my lawyerly comment with a grain of salt:D

You missed the point of what I was saying. Can say Tyler Hamilton plead the 5th when on the stand even if granted immunity because testify that he used PED while a professional cyclist could open him to court action in other countries. (Tyler might not be the best example as he has been bagged for doping already but that is my point.)

It doesnt matter what these people say, it's what they can prove. My guess several years out since he last doped (before this comeback), so there is not likely to be a ton of proof. A boatload of circumstantial evidence, and MAYBE they can go after a RICO or similar commission of a conspiracy charge. If the bikes were sold for dope, the money that paid for dope has to have somehow come from the US gov.

Otherwise, the only other chance to prosecute criminally is fraud. If they can prove he doped, they will be able to say that US Gov signed on with team under fraudulent terms.

My guess is that unless there is physical proof, Lance will not be criminally prosecuted successfully.

It still smacks of a witch hunt. Professional road cycling has so little credibility as is, what is the point of dragging it down further? Floyd had a real axe to grind, I suppose. Can't wait til his next book comes out.

You missed the point of what I was saying. Can say Tyler Hamilton plead the 5th when on the stand even if granted immunity because testify that he used PED while a professional cyclist could open him to court action in other countries. (Tyler might not be the best example as he has been bagged for doping already but that is my point.)

There are different kind of immunities. The most common kind is always granted by prosecutors in exchange for telling the whole truth. If you are granted immunity, and then lie, you are scre**. Immunity, basically says they'll not use the evidence you give in prosecuting you.

And so, to answer your question, it most likely won't be possible to prosecute you in other countries that have common law as a leg of their legal system.

I wish Marco Pantani was around to witness this. Part of the reason he was so upset in the end was that he and others were getting caught while some others seemed to have immunity.

It isn't about having immunity. It's that some guys are either not doping or doing a better job of hiding it.

This has to be one of the most hilarious waste of taxpayer dollars in the history of the United States (that should say alot).

If every person in Europe over the course of ten years could not find a single shred of physical evidence what the hell is a Federal Investigation going to find in 6 months?

Its going to come down to 'he-said she-said.'

I mean, I think LA is kind of an ******* and probally doped (if you look at a list; most if not all famous cyclist doped).

But there is no way they can prove it, especially with their star witnesses being fricken Landis, give me a break!

This is getting a little old. How about a sticky thread where all the conspiracy theorists can post their news links?

Anybody wanna guess who the NY Times cyclist/source/doper is? I think I know, and it ain't Hamilton.

Let's keep the investigation comments in the other thread. Closing this to leave one on the topic open.