Rio 2016: Ryan Lochte facing IOC investigation over armed robbery 'lie' as James Feigen pays fine to leave Brazil
Feigen was detained in Rio after Lochte had already returned to the United States
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Your support makes all the difference.United States Olympic swimmer Gunnar Bentz has joined Ryan Lochte in issuing an apology for their behaviour in Rio de Janeiro as it emerged that they, along with two other teammates, vandalised a petrol station restroom in which they broke a door, a soap dispenser and a mirror while under the influence of alcohol.
Brazilian police released details of the incident that has tarnished the four swimmers – the other two being James Feigen and Jack Conger – for an alleged fake claim of being the victims of an armed robbery.
Police have accused the quartet of vandalising the toilet before being confronted by armed security guards, who ordered the athletes to get out of the taxi they were in and get on the ground. They also demanded that the cost of the damage be covered. After the initial confusion surrounding the incident – in which the International Olympic Committee [IOC] and United States Olympic Committee [USOC] denied an armed robbery, Lochte gave two interviews to US media to claim he had been the victim of such a crime and had had a gun pointed at him by robbers pretending to be armed police.
CCTV has since proven that the account given by Lochte and Feigen was not true, leading to the latter being detained in Rio for further questioning after Lochte has already returned to the United States.
On Friday, Feigen was handed back his passport and allowed to leave Brazil, with a judge ordering the Olympic swimmer to pay a $10,800 [£8,260] fine to a Rio charity. However, it later emerged that prosecutors appealed the decision in an effort to up the fine to $47,000. Should they win the appeal, Feigen will only have to pay the additional fine if he returns to Brazil.
The 26-year-old left Rio on Friday night to return to the US, while Bentz issued his own apology to add to Lochte’s in which he said it was an "honour and dream come true" and stressed that he was only a witness to the incident and not a suspect.
The IOC has confirmed that it has launched an investigation into the incident after establishing a disciplinary committee, with the governing body having the power to issue sanctions against the swimmers should they have a case to answer. USA Swimming is also expected to discuss the matter between its executive board to decide if any punishment is required.
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