Justice Dept Seeks Triple Damages For Armstrong-USPS Sponsorship
The Department of Justice made its case against Lance Armstrong in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that alleges Armstrong was "unjustly enriched" by his sponsorship deal with the U.S. Postal Service. Over the course of the deal, Armstrong reportedly received close to $40 million in payments from the government agency.
“Lance Armstrong and his cycling team took more than $30 million from the U.S. Postal Service based on their contractual promise to play fair and abide by the rules – including the rules against doping,” said Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “The Postal Service has now seen its sponsorship unfairly associated with what has been described as ‘the most sophisticated, professionalized, and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.’ This lawsuit is designed to help the Postal Service recoup the tens of millions of dollars it paid out to the Tailwind cycling team based on years of broken promises. In today’s economic climate, the U.S. Postal Service is simply not in a position to allow Lance Armstrong or any of the other defendants to walk away with the tens of millions of dollars they illegitimately procured.”
In today's filing, the Justice Department said it would seek triple damages, putting Armstrong on the hook for something on the order of $120 million if the suit is successful.
"Defendants were unjustly enriched to the extent of the payments and other benefits they received from the USPS, either directly or indirectly," the complaint said, according to the AP.
