An ABC News scoop that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong was under criminal investigation was cited as one of the reasons that Armstrong is now considering cooperating with the US Anti-Doping Agency.
ABC’s Neal Karlinsky, who has owned the Armstrong beat, broke the news Tuesday that Armstrong was facing criminal charges, and that “agents are actively investigating Armstrong for obstruction, witness tampering and intimidation.”
Armstrong had refused to cooperate with the USADA investigation to this point, but USA Today says that he is now reconsidering, thanks to Karlinsky’s report.
Since his January televised interview with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong had said he could not meet USADA’s deadline but would cooperate with a hypothetical “truth and reconciliation” commission set up by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the international cycling federation. However, he appears to have changed his mind and been swayed to come clean to USADA after hearing reports, first broken by ABC News, that he might be facing criminal prosecution, the person said.