Armstrong and Ferrari... a love affair that just won't go away

ROME (AP) — Lance Armstrong and a banned Italian physician have met
repeatedly in Europe since severing formal ties in 2004, including as
recently as last year before Armstrong's final Tour de France, a high-
ranking Italian law enforcement official told The Associated Press on
Friday.

Michele Ferrari was cleared in 2006 of criminal charges accusing him
of distributing doping products to athletes, but he remains barred for
life by the Italian Cycling Federation.

Italian authorities suspect Ferrari of continuing to work with 20 to
30 top level cyclists despite his ban, including Armstrong, and are
actively pursuing that line of investigation, the law enforcement
official said. Padua prosecutor Benedetto Roberti ordered raids
Thursday across Italy involving cyclists believed to have ties to
Ferrari. Italian riders who work with the doctor risk bans of three to
six months.

The law enforcement official, who is not authorized to speak publicly
because the inquiry is still under way, said that Armstrong met with
Ferrari frequently over the past several years, usually in St. Moritz,
Switzerland, or Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Ferrari had worked with the seven-time Tour winner for several years
before their 2004 split.

Reached at his home by the AP on Friday, Ferrari was asked when he
last saw Armstrong. "I really don't know. When, last year? Look, right
now I don't remember," he said, "but I haven't had a professional
relationship with Mr. Armstrong for a long time."

Armstrong has always denied doping. He retired from cycling for the
second time earlier this year.

"Lance has not had a professional relationship with Dr. Ferrari since
2004, but he remains friends with the doctor's family and sees them
every once in a while. Lance last saw Dr. Ferrari about a year ago,"
Armstrong lawyer Mark Fabiani said in an email.

Recent meetings between Armstrong and Ferrari could provide evidence
for a United States federal probe into doping in cycling. Armstrong is
by far the highest-profile athlete under scrutiny in that case, which
is before a grand jury in Los Angeles.

Without identifying its source, Sports Illustrated said in January
that when Italian authorities raided the home of Armstrong teammate
Yaroslav Popovych last November in Italy, they found texts and emails
linking the RadioShack team with Ferrari as recently as 2009.

In November, European and American agents met at Interpol headquarters
in Lyon, France, to share information on all the investigations.

"Government sources are leaking inaccurate rumors to create the false
impression that this taxpayer-money-wasting fishing expedition
actually has a purpose," Fabiani said.

The cyclists raided Thursday in Sicily and northern Italy include
Michele Scarponi — a title contender for this year's Giro d'Italia —
and Lampre teammate Leonardo Bertagnolli, as well as five current and
past Russian riders with the Katusha team.

No arrests were made.

One of the Russians, Aleksander Kolobnev, won the bronze medal at the
2008 Beijing Olympics, getting bumped up from fourth after Italy's
Davide Rebellin was stripped of silver.

The Lampre and Katusha teams confirmed that police inspected the
riders' biological passports and confiscated anti-inflammatories,
powdered milk and energy bars.

Ferrari refused to comment on the raids. "I have a lot of things to
say, but I'll say them when the moment is right," he said. "At the
moment I don't have anything to say."

More raids are likely, the Italian law enforcement official said.

"We were looking to make a few connections and we found some of what
we were looking for. But it's not finished yet," the official said.
"It's all related to (Ferrari)."

This is the part I found interesting:

"Ferrari was later cleared of criminal charges on appeal in 2006."

So Armstrong is guilty of associating with a known criminal who was
cleared on appeal, which is the same as a criminal to the doping
inquisition. At least they're consistent since a legal appeal is
similar to testing the B sample, which they want to eliminate.

-ilan


On Apr 15, 11:41*pm, Choppy Warburton
wrote:
ROME (AP) — Lance Armstrong and a banned Italian physician have met
repeatedly in Europe since severing formal ties in 2004, including as
recently as last year before Armstrong's final Tour de France, a high-
ranking Italian law enforcement official told The Associated Press on
Friday.

Michele Ferrari was cleared in 2006 of criminal charges accusing him
of distributing doping products to athletes, but he remains barred for
life by the Italian Cycling Federation.

Italian authorities suspect Ferrari of continuing to work with 20 to
30 top level cyclists despite his ban, including Armstrong, and are
actively pursuing that line of investigation, the law enforcement
official said. Padua prosecutor Benedetto Roberti ordered raids
Thursday across Italy involving cyclists believed to have ties to
Ferrari. Italian riders who work with the doctor risk bans of three to
six months.

The law enforcement official, who is not authorized to speak publicly
because the inquiry is still under way, said that Armstrong met with
Ferrari frequently over the past several years, usually in St. Moritz,
Switzerland, or Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Ferrari had worked with the seven-time Tour winner for several years
before their 2004 split.

Reached at his home by the AP on Friday, Ferrari was asked when he
last saw Armstrong. "I really don't know. When, last year? Look, right
now I don't remember," he said, "but I haven't had a professional
relationship with Mr. Armstrong for a long time."

Armstrong has always denied doping. He retired from cycling for the
second time earlier this year.

"Lance has not had a professional relationship with Dr. Ferrari since
2004, but he remains friends with the doctor's family and sees them
every once in a while. Lance last saw Dr. Ferrari about a year ago,"
Armstrong lawyer Mark Fabiani said in an email.

Recent meetings between Armstrong and Ferrari could provide evidence
for a United States federal probe into doping in cycling. Armstrong is
by far the highest-profile athlete under scrutiny in that case, which
is before a grand jury in Los Angeles.

Without identifying its source, Sports Illustrated said in January
that when Italian authorities raided the home of Armstrong teammate
Yaroslav Popovych last November in Italy, they found texts and emails
linking the RadioShack team with Ferrari as recently as 2009.

In November, European and American agents met at Interpol headquarters
in Lyon, France, to share information on all the investigations.

"Government sources are leaking inaccurate rumors to create the false
impression that this taxpayer-money-wasting fishing expedition
actually has a purpose," Fabiani said.

The cyclists raided Thursday in Sicily and northern Italy include
Michele Scarponi — a title contender for this year's Giro d'Italia —
and Lampre teammate Leonardo Bertagnolli, as well as five current and
past Russian riders with the Katusha team.

No arrests were made.

One of the Russians, Aleksander Kolobnev, won the bronze medal at the
2008 Beijing Olympics, getting bumped up from fourth after Italy's
Davide Rebellin was stripped of silver.

The Lampre and Katusha teams confirmed that police inspected the
riders' biological passports and confiscated anti-inflammatories,
powdered milk and energy bars.

Ferrari refused to comment on the raids. "I have a lot of things to
say, but I'll say them when the moment is right," he said. "At the
moment I don't have anything to say."

More raids are likely, the Italian law enforcement official said.

"We were looking to make a few connections and we found some of what
we were looking for. But it's not finished yet," the official said.
"It's all related to (Ferrari)."

On Apr 15, 4:41*pm, Choppy Warburton
wrote:

(snipped)
The cyclists raided Thursday in Sicily and northern Italy include
Michele Scarponi — a title contender for this year's Giro d'Italia —
and Lampre teammate Leonardo Bertagnolli, as well as five current and
past Russian riders with the Katusha team.

No arrests were made.

One of the Russians, Aleksander Kolobnev, won the bronze medal at the
2008 Beijing Olympics, getting bumped up from fourth after Italy's
Davide Rebellin was stripped of silver.

The Lampre and Katusha teams confirmed that police inspected the
riders' biological passports and confiscated anti-inflammatories,
powdered milk and energy bars.

Reminds me of some folks I heard of who had to give up a couple of
lawn chairs in Mexico once: "no arrests were made".

Well, what can I say, there are lots of things that just won't go
away. Such is life!
--D-y

ilan wrote:
This is the part I found interesting:
"Ferrari was later cleared of criminal charges on appeal in 2006."

I thought the case was dismissed because it expired under a statute of
limitations.

A. Dumas wrote:
ilan wrote:
This is the part I found interesting:
"Ferrari was later cleared of criminal charges on appeal in 2006."

I thought the case was dismissed because it expired under a statute of
limitations.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/lo...111894354.html

-S-

On Apr 16, 12:11*pm, "Steve Freides" wrote:
A. Dumas wrote:
ilan wrote:
This is the part I found interesting:
"Ferrari was later cleared of criminal charges on appeal in 2006."

I thought the case was dismissed because it expired under a statute of
limitations.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/lo...ations-1118943...

-S-

nice - kramer was right