This weekend Ryan Lochte and fellow swimmer James Feigen reported being robbed at gunpoint by people posing as police officers as they rode in a taxi back to the Athlete’s Village.
On Wednesday, however, allegations emerged that the two athletes were lying about what happened. Brazil authorities have seized the two athletes’ passports, though Lochte was reportedly already back in the United States when this occurred.
Authorities are investigating the accounts of the incident and may bring charges of filing a false report, among others.
The story began to fall apart when inconsistencies between the two men’s accounts came to light. Lochte reportedly said one man held them up while Feigen allegedly said there was more than one.
Additionally, security footage acquired by NBC seemed to show the two men returning to the Athlete’s Village looking normal and unfazed by the alleged hold up and robbery. They also appeared to be in possession of valuables that many believe would have been seized by armed robbers.
Brazilian authorities were unable to seize Lochte’s passport before he left; they sought the swimmer for questioning. A Brazilian judge issued a search and seizure warrant for both swimmers. Authorities are also looking for the taxi driver.
Lochte’s lawyers stated that he would have stayed in the country if he had known about the warrant. They also insist that Lochte and the other swimmers were victims.