The Department of Justice yesterday joined a lawsuit demanding Lance Armstrong repay millions in taxpayer money he got from the Postal Service.
From 1998 to 2004, the cyclist and his team collected $42.4 million from the government for naming their team for the US Postal Service, according to court papers.
The deals required Armstrong and his team “to play fair and abide by the rules — including the rules against doping,” said Ronald Machen Jr., the US attorney for Washington, DC.
But Armstrong admitted in a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey last month that he used drugs, blood transfusions and other performance-enhancing tricks barred by cycling rules.
Under federal law, Armstrong and his backers could be forced to repay up to $127.2 million — three times what the government paid them.