Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Feigen said they were robbed at gunpoint early Sunday morning.
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There were reports late Wednesday Conger and Bentz were removed from their flight to the United States by Brazilian authorities.
The U.S. Olympic Committee says American swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were removed from their flight to the United States by Brazilian authorities.
It’s the latest development in a odd case that has left many puzzled – and has led to accusations in Brazil that the American swimmers fabricated their account.
Brazilian police have said the American swimmers were unable to provide key details in police interviews, and an official with knowledge of the investigation told the Associated Press that police can not find their taxi driver or witnesses.
U.S. swimmer Gunnar Bentz has been stopped from boarding a flight out of Brazil, it has been reported.
But he altered his story, admitting his original claims about having a gun put to his head weren’t true, and that it was only waved in his direction.
While Ryan Lochte is chilling in the States, two of his USA swimming teammates are feeling the heat in Brazil.
But police said their account of when they arrived at the Olympic Village did not square with CCTV recordings. As the swimming portion of the Rio Games had come to a close, Lochte had already returned home to the United States.
Feigen is still in Rio, according to his hometown newspaper, the San Antonio Express-News, which spoke to him briefly Wednesday.
During NBC’s Olympic broadcast Wednesday night, host Matt Lauer told anchor Bob Costas of a telephone interview he said he had had with Lochte on Wednesday.
Steve Lochte, Ryan’s dad, told The Associated Press by phone that his son had phoned him on Tuesday and said his wallet had been stolen and that he had planned to replace it. “I have to go, ” he said.
Lauer said he pointedly asked Lochte if that was the case.
An unnamed legal spokesperson for Lochte told Globo the swimmers were shocked by Blanc’s decision.
“It’s surprising to know that they have taken these measures to continue the investigation”, the spokesperson was quoted as saying.
She also noted the swimmers had said they left a party at the French Olympic delegation just after 4 a.m. but security cameras showed them arriving at the Athletes Village at around 7 a.m. – a journey that would normally only take around 30 minutes at that hour of day.
They were allegedly ordered to get the ground, with the thieves taking their wallets and belongings. He said he was sure Ryan had his passport or he would not have been allowed to board a plane.
The athlete was spotted walking through Charlotte, NC’s global airport with his Playboy Playmate gal pal, Kayla Rae Reid, People magazine reported. Ryan’s lawyer, Jeff Ostrow, confirmed that Ryan is stateside and has gone on record to say that the swimmer did everything he could to cooperate with authorities.
Investigations about the robbery are ongoing, and officials hope that after further questioning of the individuals involved, answers will swim to the surface.
They also said that Feigen and Lochte gave different accounts of how many men robbed them.
The swimmers, along with University of Georgia’s Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, said the robbery happened early Sunday. The swimmers also could not remember the colour or type of taxi and said they were intoxicated.
“This happened the way he described it”, Ostrow said.
“Why would anybody fabricate anything?” Feigen received gold for swimming in the heats of the 4×100 free relay, which was won by the U.S.
Lochte claimed that he and his three team mates were in a taxi travelling back to the Athletes’ Village when they were pulled over by armed men carrying police badges. When they returned, Lochte told Lauer, the cab driver wouldn’t pull away from the station.
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“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”.
