Judge Orders Seizure of Ryan Lochte's and James Feigen's Passports Amid Robbery Probe

U.S. swimmers are ordered to stay in Brazil

By Kendall Fisher Aug 17, 2016 4:55 PMTags

After police in Rio found no evidence to support Ryan Lochte's claim that he and three other swimmers were robbed at gunpoint last weekend during the 2016 Rio Olympics, a Brazilian judge has ordered seizure of his passport.

E! News obtained a statement from the Rio de Janeiro court, which said Judge Keyla Blanc De Cnop, the Special Court of the Fan and Major Events, ordered the dispatch of search warrants and seizure of passports for both Lochte and one of the other swimmers involved in the incident, James Feigen. Therefore, they "are not allowed to leave the country."

The statement said the judge found inconsistencies in the swimmers' testimonies about the amount of robbers involved in the incident. Lochte reportedly said they were only robbed by one culprit, while Feigen said there were multiple people involved. Furthermore, the judge highlighted the men's "attitude" as they passed through security after the alleged stickup, which was captured by security cameras.

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Rio Police Cannot Corroborate Ryan Lochte's Robbery Claims

Lochte's attorney Jeff Ostrow tells E! News the swimmer has already left Rio and returned to the U.S. His passport was not seized. 

According to Ostrow, Lochte "finished his Olympian duties" and left. His departure was "scheduled and planned" before the robbery. The attorney says Brazilian authorities have not reached out to Ostrow regarding the case.

"He came home.They never said stay around, otherwise I would have advised Ryan to stay," Ostrow told NBC News. "He's not hiding anything. They haven't reached out to him."

The attorney also noted that Lochte gave a statement, which he signed to attest to the veracity of it

 

"He's done everything he could have done and should have done as a victim," Ostrow said. "He's a victim. They're saying inconsistencies, but he's still the victim. It happened."

Meanwhile, Feigen's whereabouts have remained confidential due to security protocol, according to Today

Matt Hazlett/Getty Images

Police in Rio have yet to find any evidence to support Lochte and the three other swimmers— Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger—about their claims. Officials say they're unable to locate their taxi driver or witnesses, and said the athletes have been unable to provide key details in interviews.

The swimmers previously told U.S. Olympic Committee officials they left France House and were being driven home Sunday when "their taxi was stopped by individuals posing as armed police officers who demanded the athletes' money and other personal belongings."

All four swimmers were unharmed, though Lochte's mom had said they were all shaken. "We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing—just a police badge—and they pulled us over," Lochte later told Billy Bush on NBC's Today. "They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground—they got down on the ground. I refused. I was like, 'We didn't do anything wrong, so I'm not getting down on the ground.' And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, 'Get down,' and I put my hands up. I was like 'Whatever.' "He took our money. He took my wallet. He left my cell phone. He left my credentials."

Authorities said the swimmers did not call police, and officials only began investigating after seeing media reports in which Lochte's mother had discussed the robbery. Police interviewed Lochte and one other swimmer, who said they had been intoxicated and could not recall details about the taxi they were driven in, or where the robbery happened. The athletes could not say what time the events occurred, or when they left the French House.

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