Since Floyd Landis first leveled accusations against Lance Armstrong last week, we’ve been asking where the beef was re an official investigation. By that we meant: When will the case enter the purview of the legal system, carrying the weight of depositions, subpoenas, a possible Grand Jury and other court procedures?
Today The New York Times provides the answer. The word “fraud” is now being associated with the Armstrong inquiry.
As one legal expert put it to The Times: “The government normally leaves it up to sports leagues to discipline those athletes who may have used performance-enhancing drugs. Fraud is something the government takes quite seriously, particularly where a lot of money is involved and conduct is flagrant.”
The fraud referred to here involves Armstrong potentially misrepresenting himself as drug-free to sponsors and accepting money on that basis, when in fact he was doping.
Proving that key point will be a focus of the investigation.
Reading between the lines, it can typically be said that investigators do not pursue leads they have no proof on. For the Armstrong camp, it may come down to whether it’s worth taking a chance that authorities cannot prove in a court of law that Armstrong doped.
So it all comes back to Dirty Harry: Do you feel lucky today?
Also breaking: Belgian officials to investigate Lance team manager Johan Bruyneel.