Feds Charge Two Men with Threatening Lance Armstrong Investigator

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong looked right into the cameras and lied when he said he never took drugs to help him win seven Tour De France races. Maybe he had a reason to believe the truth would die.

Travis Tygart

Federal law enforcement agents have arrested two men on suspicion of making death threats to the man who lead the investigation into Armstrong's doping and witness intimidation business. A grand jury has indicted Gerrit Keats of Florida, a 72 year-old retired doctor, and Robert Hutchins of Utah. They're charging them with transmitting a threat to Travis Tygart. The government says Tygart received the threats as he was working on the the wide-ranging investigation of doping on the U.S. Postal Service sponsored Cycling team, of which Armstrong was the lead member. At the same time Tygart was receiving threats, Armstrong was telling Tygart was conducting an unconstitutional "witch hunt." Following the investigation this year, the

Gerrit Keats Gran Jury Doc.

USADA released overwhelming evidence that linked Armstrong to taking performance boosters, like EPO, or Erythropoietin a hormone that promotes the production of red blood cells. The report based its conclusion on the testimony of nearly a dozen of Armstrong's teammates. Each detailed Armstrong's and their own roles in the scheme. This indictment of two men, who for now don't appear to be connected to the sport of cycling, also gives credence to allegations from former team members and other cyclists, that Armstrong used intimidation against witnesses to keep his cheating a secret. The USADA is recognized as "the official anti-doping agency for Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic sport in the United States. It stripped Armstrong of his seven"Tour' titles, and issued him a life-time ban. And since the USADA also governs drug testing for Triathletes, Armstrong's sport of choice following his retirement from cycling, Armstrong was also banned from competing in USADA sanctioned events. Following the report and the life-time ban Armstrong admitted his role in doping to Oprah Winfrey. Armstrong is also facing a civil lawsuit. In February, the federal government joined a 'suit already filed against Armstrong. Floyd Landis' suit accuses Armstrong

Floyd Landis

and his associates of defrauding the U.S. Postal Service during their tenure with the USPS cycling team. Because Armstrong and other USPS cyclists used banned drugs and blood transfusions to gain an advantage, the suit argues they violated their sponsorship contracts with the USPS and that the government should get its money back. The lawsuit seeks $90 million. Armstrong might gladly pay back that money if it means he could steer clear of what's probably coming. Why would two guys threaten the life of the head of the USADA investigation into Armstrong's cheating? Were they big Armstrong fans, or just a couple of his independent contractors.