Brazilian judge orders Lochte and Feigen to stay in the country.
RIO DE JANEIRO- According to NBC News, a Brazilian judge has issued an order to seize U.S. swimmers Ryan Lochte’s and James Feigen’s passport, prohibiting their departure from the country.
Lochte and three other teammates were robbed at gunpoint Sunday morning on their way back to the athletes village from a party.
A warrant, issued by Judge Keyla Blac De Cnop, Lochte and Feigen gave conflicting recounts of the alleged armed robbery. According to the warrant, Lochte told police the swimmers were help up by one armed robber who demanded he hand over all of his money, which totaled $400.
Feigen said in his deposition that the group were help up by several assailants and that there were only one armed, said the warrant.
The judge also cited the athlete’s inconsistent demeanor’s upon arriving to the Olympic Village. The judge noted that the athletes arrived with “their physical and mental integrities unshakened” and that they were “joking with one another.”
Lochte’s attorney, Jeff Ostrow, said there was no question that the robbery did in fact happen. According to Patrick Sandusky, a spokesman for the United States Olympic Committee, local police arrived Wednesday morning and asked to meet with Lochte and Feigen and to collect their passports.
According to the Associated Press, Rio police did not confirm whether or not the action had been carried out. It is reported that the swimmers were unable to provide key details when asked about the robbery, police are still investigating into the little evidence found to support the case.
The initial report of the robbery confused Olympic and U.S. officials as an international Olympic Committee spokesman at first said the reports were untrue.
Lochte attempted to explain to USA Today that he and his teammates did not initially tell the U.S. Olympic officials, “because we were afraid we’d get in trouble.”
The original story of the robbery being reported can be found here.
