Fansided

U.S. swimmer will pay over $10,000 and leave Brazil after robbery scandal

By Roje Smith

KAZAN, RUSSIA - AUGUST 05: Jimmy Feigen of the United States looks on in the Men's 100m Freestyle heats on day twelve of the 16th FINA World Championships at the Kazan Arena on August 5, 2015 in Kazan, Russia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
KAZAN, RUSSIA - AUGUST 05: Jimmy Feigen of the United States looks on in the Men's 100m Freestyle heats on day twelve of the 16th FINA World Championships at the Kazan Arena on August 5, 2015 in Kazan, Russia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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U.S. Olympic swimmer James Feigen will pay around $10,800 and then leave Brazil following the a fake-robbery scandal that rocked the Games.

The controversy surrounding an alleged gunpoint robbery with U.S. swimmers has been the top story at the 2016 Rio Olympics this week. After conflicting stories were dissected and the truth finally rose to the surface, it appears the whole sordid mess is finally coming to closure.

According to the lawyer for U.S. swimmer James Feigen, the swimmer will pay approximately $10,800 in order to leave Brazil. The agreement was reached with a Brazilian judge stating that Feigen will donate 35,000 Brazilian reals to an “institution” before making his departure. According to Brazilian law, a donation can be made to avoid criminal prosecution for minor offenses.

The ordeal started when fellow U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte claimed that he and three teammates — Feigen, Gunner Bentz, and Jack Conger — were robbed at gunpoint early Sunday. Lochte alleged the four were returning to Olympic Village after a night out partying when the supposed crime happened. However, Brazilian authorities soon uncovered evidence to the contrary: that the four had ransacked a Rio gas station and urinated on equipment before being asked, at gun point, to pay for the damaged.

According to police, an altercation took place between the swimmers and gas station security. The gold-medal winners were intoxicated and at least one of them vandalized a bathroom. Armed guards approached them about it and kept the group until they paid around $50 in order to leave. Accounts from witnesses and surveillance video footage help support the counter-claims from the Brazilian authorities.

Next: Timeline of the Ryan Lochte scandal

Lochte left Brazil a few days after the alleged incident. However, Conger and Bentz were pulled off of a departing plane on Wednesday for questioning, where the resulting stories matched that of the Brazilian police. As a result, the two were allowed to leave the country on Thursday.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has since apologized to Brazil for the behavior of the swimmers, promising to investigate the situation more for potential consequences.

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