JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Nelson Mandela's health has deteriorated and he is now in critical condition, the South African government said Sunday.
The office of President Jacob Zuma said in a statement that he had visited the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader at a hospital Sunday evening and was informed by the medical team that Mandela's condition had become critical in the past 24 hours.
"The doctors are doing everything possible to get his condition to improve and are ensuring that Madiba is well-looked after and is comfortable. He is in good hands," Zuma said in the statement, using Mandela's clan name.
Zuma also met Graca Machel, Mandela's wife, at the hospital in Pretoria and discussed the former leader's condition, according to the statement. Zuma was accompanied on the visit by Cyril Ramaphosa, the deputy president of the country's ruling party, the African National Congress.
Mandela was jailed for 27 years under white racist rule and released in 1990. He then played a leading role in steering the divided country from the apartheid era to democracy, becoming South Africa's first black president in all-race elections in 1994. He was hospitalized on June 8 for what the government said was a recurring lung infection.
In Sunday's statement, Zuma also discussed the government's acknowledgement a day earlier that an ambulance carrying Mandela to the hospital two weeks ago had engine trouble, requiring the former president to be transferred to another ambulance for his journey to the hospital.
"There were seven doctors in the convoy who were in full control of the situation throughout the period. He had expert medical care," Zuma said. "The fully equipped military ICU ambulance had a full complement of specialist medical staff including intensive care specialists and ICU nurses. The doctors also dismissed the media reports that Madiba suffered cardiac arrest. There is no truth at all in that report."
Mandela is seen by many around the world as a symbol of reconciliation, and Zuma appealed to South Africans and the international community to pray for the ailing ex-president, his family and the medical team attending to him.
The ruling party expressed concern about the deterioration in Mandela's health.
"We welcome the work being done by The Presidency to ensure that South Africans and people of the world are kept informed on the state of Madiba's health," the party said. "The African National Congress joins The Presidency in calling upon all of us to keep President Mandela, his family and his medical team in our thoughts and prayers during this trying time."
Prior to Zuma's statement late Sunday, reports from the government, former President Thabo Mbeki and a grandson of Mandela had indicated that the health of Mandela was improving, even though he has been in the hospital for treatment several times in recent months. Mandela last made a public appearance in 2010, and has become increasingly frail in recent years.
On April 29, state television broadcast footage of a visit by Zuma and other leaders of the African National Congress to Mandela's home. Zuma said at the time that Mandela was in good shape, but the footage ? the first public images of Mandela in nearly a year ? showed him silent and unresponsive, even when Zuma tried to hold his hand.
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The woman who intervened when an officer pulled over one of her sons, leading to a racially-charged scuffle that set off the 1965 Watts riot, has died.
The Los Angeles Times reports Saturday that Rena Price died of natural causes on June 10. She was 97.
On August 11, 1965 Price rushed from her home in South Los Angeles to a nearby traffic stop where a white California Highway Patrol officer had pulled over her son Marquette Frye. Accounts vary on what set off the scuffle, but a patrolman hit Frye on the head with a baton and his mother jumped on another officer.
A crowd witnessed their arrests. After rumors spread that police had roughed up a black woman, angry mobs formed and six days of deadly rioting ensued.
Alzheimer's disease protein controls movement in micePublic release date: 21-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Barry Whyte barry.whyte@embo.org European Molecular Biology Organization
HEIDELBERG, 21 June 2013 Researchers in Berlin and Munich, Germany and Oxford, United Kingdom, have revealed that a protein well known for its role in Alzheimer's disease controls spindle development in muscle and leads to impaired movement in mice when the protein is absent or treated with inhibitors. The results, which are published in The EMBO Journal, suggest that drugs under development to target the beta-secretase-1 protein, which may be potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease, might produce unwanted side effects related to defective movement.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia found in older adults. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 18 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's disease. The number of people affected by the disease may increase to 34 million by 2025. Scientists know that the protein beta-secretase-1 or Bace1, a protease enzyme that breaks down proteins into smaller molecules, is involved in Alzheimer's disease. Bace1 cleaves the amyloid precursor protein and generates the damaging Abeta peptides that accumulate as plaques in the brain leading to disease. Now scientists have revealed in more detail how Bace1 works.
"Our results show that mice that lack Bace1 proteins or are treated with inhibitors of the enzyme have difficulties in coordination and walking and also show reduced muscle strength," remarked Carmen Birchmeier, one of the authors of the paper, Professor at the Max-Delbrck-Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany, and an EMBO Member. "In addition, we were able to show that the combined activities of Bace1 and another protein, neuregulin-1 or Nrg1, are needed to sustain the muscle spindles in mice and to maintain motor coordination."
Muscle spindles are sensory organs that are found throughout the muscles of vertebrates. They are able to detect how muscles stretch and convey the perception of body position to the brain. The researchers used genetic analyses, biochemical studies and interference with pharmacological inhibitors to investigate how Bace1 works in mice. "If the signal strength of a specific form of neuregulin-1 known as IgNrg1 is gradually reduced, increasingly severe defects in the formation and maturation of muscle spindles are observed in mice. Furthermore, it appears that Bace1 is required for full IgNrg1 activity. The graded loss of IgNrg1 activity results in the animals having increasing difficulties with movement and coordination," says Cyril Cheret, the first author of the work.
Drug developers are interested in stopping the Bace1 protein in its tracks because it represents a promising route to treat Alzheimer's disease. If the protein were inhibited, it would interfere with the generation of the smaller damaging proteins that accumulate in the brain as amyloid plaques and would therefore provide some level of protection from the effects of the disease. "Our data indicate that one unwanted side effect of the long-term inhibition of Bace1 might be the disruption of muscle spindle formation and impairment of movement. This finding is relevant to scientists looking for ways to develop drugs that target the Bace1 protein and should be considered," says Birchmeier. Several Bace1 inhibitors are currently being tested in phase II and phase III clinical trials for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
###
Bace1 and neuregulin-1 (Nrg1) cooperate to control formation and maintenance of muscle spindles
Cyril Cheret, Michael Willem, Florence R. Fricker, Hagen Wende, Annika Wulf- Goldenberg, Sabina Tahirovic, Klaus-Armin Nave, Paul Saftig, Christian Haass, Alistair N. Garratt, David L. Bennett and Carmen Birchmeier
Read the paper:
doi: 10.1038/emboj.2013.146
http://www.nature.com/emboj/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/emboj2013146a.html
A Photo can be downloaded from the Internet at:
https://www.mdc-berlin.de/39833128/en/news/2013
Further information on The EMBO Journal is available at http://www.nature.com/embo
Media Contacts
Barry Whyte
Head | Public Relations and Communications
barry.whyte@embo.org
David del Alamo
Editor, The EMBO Journal Tel: +49 6221 8891 309
david.delalamo@embo.org
About EMBO
EMBO is an organization of more than 1500 leading researchers that promotes excellence in the life sciences. The major goals of the organization are to support talented researchers at all stages of their careers, stimulate the exchange of scientific information, and help build a European research environment where scientists can achieve their best work.
EMBO helps young scientists to advance their research, promote their international reputations and ensure their mobility. Courses, workshops, conferences and scientific journals disseminate the latest research and offer training in techniques to maintain high standards of excellence in research practice. EMBO helps to shape science and research policy by seeking input and feedback from our community and by following closely the trends in science in Europe.
For more information: http://www.embo.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Alzheimer's disease protein controls movement in micePublic release date: 21-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Barry Whyte barry.whyte@embo.org European Molecular Biology Organization
HEIDELBERG, 21 June 2013 Researchers in Berlin and Munich, Germany and Oxford, United Kingdom, have revealed that a protein well known for its role in Alzheimer's disease controls spindle development in muscle and leads to impaired movement in mice when the protein is absent or treated with inhibitors. The results, which are published in The EMBO Journal, suggest that drugs under development to target the beta-secretase-1 protein, which may be potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease, might produce unwanted side effects related to defective movement.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia found in older adults. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 18 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's disease. The number of people affected by the disease may increase to 34 million by 2025. Scientists know that the protein beta-secretase-1 or Bace1, a protease enzyme that breaks down proteins into smaller molecules, is involved in Alzheimer's disease. Bace1 cleaves the amyloid precursor protein and generates the damaging Abeta peptides that accumulate as plaques in the brain leading to disease. Now scientists have revealed in more detail how Bace1 works.
"Our results show that mice that lack Bace1 proteins or are treated with inhibitors of the enzyme have difficulties in coordination and walking and also show reduced muscle strength," remarked Carmen Birchmeier, one of the authors of the paper, Professor at the Max-Delbrck-Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany, and an EMBO Member. "In addition, we were able to show that the combined activities of Bace1 and another protein, neuregulin-1 or Nrg1, are needed to sustain the muscle spindles in mice and to maintain motor coordination."
Muscle spindles are sensory organs that are found throughout the muscles of vertebrates. They are able to detect how muscles stretch and convey the perception of body position to the brain. The researchers used genetic analyses, biochemical studies and interference with pharmacological inhibitors to investigate how Bace1 works in mice. "If the signal strength of a specific form of neuregulin-1 known as IgNrg1 is gradually reduced, increasingly severe defects in the formation and maturation of muscle spindles are observed in mice. Furthermore, it appears that Bace1 is required for full IgNrg1 activity. The graded loss of IgNrg1 activity results in the animals having increasing difficulties with movement and coordination," says Cyril Cheret, the first author of the work.
Drug developers are interested in stopping the Bace1 protein in its tracks because it represents a promising route to treat Alzheimer's disease. If the protein were inhibited, it would interfere with the generation of the smaller damaging proteins that accumulate in the brain as amyloid plaques and would therefore provide some level of protection from the effects of the disease. "Our data indicate that one unwanted side effect of the long-term inhibition of Bace1 might be the disruption of muscle spindle formation and impairment of movement. This finding is relevant to scientists looking for ways to develop drugs that target the Bace1 protein and should be considered," says Birchmeier. Several Bace1 inhibitors are currently being tested in phase II and phase III clinical trials for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
###
Bace1 and neuregulin-1 (Nrg1) cooperate to control formation and maintenance of muscle spindles
Cyril Cheret, Michael Willem, Florence R. Fricker, Hagen Wende, Annika Wulf- Goldenberg, Sabina Tahirovic, Klaus-Armin Nave, Paul Saftig, Christian Haass, Alistair N. Garratt, David L. Bennett and Carmen Birchmeier
Read the paper:
doi: 10.1038/emboj.2013.146
http://www.nature.com/emboj/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/emboj2013146a.html
A Photo can be downloaded from the Internet at:
https://www.mdc-berlin.de/39833128/en/news/2013
Further information on The EMBO Journal is available at http://www.nature.com/embo
Media Contacts
Barry Whyte
Head | Public Relations and Communications
barry.whyte@embo.org
David del Alamo
Editor, The EMBO Journal Tel: +49 6221 8891 309
david.delalamo@embo.org
About EMBO
EMBO is an organization of more than 1500 leading researchers that promotes excellence in the life sciences. The major goals of the organization are to support talented researchers at all stages of their careers, stimulate the exchange of scientific information, and help build a European research environment where scientists can achieve their best work.
EMBO helps young scientists to advance their research, promote their international reputations and ensure their mobility. Courses, workshops, conferences and scientific journals disseminate the latest research and offer training in techniques to maintain high standards of excellence in research practice. EMBO helps to shape science and research policy by seeking input and feedback from our community and by following closely the trends in science in Europe.
For more information: http://www.embo.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Shannon Richardson, right, is led from the emergency room at CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System in Texarkana, Texas, Friday, June 7, 2013. Richardson made an initial appearance in a Texarkana courtroom after being charged with mailing a threatening communication to the president. She could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, U.S. attorney's office spokeswoman Davilyn Walston said. (AP Photo/Texarkana Gazette, Curt Youngblood) MANDATORY CREDIT
Shannon Richardson, right, is led from the emergency room at CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System in Texarkana, Texas, Friday, June 7, 2013. Richardson made an initial appearance in a Texarkana courtroom after being charged with mailing a threatening communication to the president. She could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, U.S. attorney's office spokeswoman Davilyn Walston said. (AP Photo/Texarkana Gazette, Curt Youngblood) MANDATORY CREDIT
FILE - In this May 31, 2013 file photo, members of an FBI hazardous materials team prepare to enter a residence in New Boston, Texas in connection with a federal investigation surrounding ricin-laced letters mailed to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Two U.S. law enforcement officials say Shannon Richardson of New Boston, Texas, has been arrested Friday, June 7, in the investigation. (AP Photo/Texarkana Gazette, Evan Lewis) MANDATORY CREDIT
FILE - In this May 31, 2013 file photo, authorities search a residence in New Boston, Texas in connection with a federal investigation surrounding ricin-laced letters mailed to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Two U.S. law enforcement officials say Shannon Richardson of New Boston, Texas, has been arrested Friday, June 7, in the investigation. (AP Texarkana Gazette, Evan Lewis) MANDATORY CREDIT
TEXARKANA, Texas (AP) ? The FBI says a Texas woman admitted sending ricin-tainted letters to President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, but only after trying to pin it on her husband.
Shannon Guess Richardson was charged Friday with mailing a threat to the president. The federal charge carries up to 10 years in prison.
The 35-year-old actress and pregnant mother of five contacted authorities on May 30 to implicate her husband.
An FBI affidavit says she failed a polygraph test and investigators found inconsistencies in her story.
The affidavit says she later admitted mailing the letters knowing they contained ricin, but said her husband typed them and made her do it.
No charges have been filed against her husband. His attorney says the couple is divorcing and the letters were a setup.
BRANDON, Miss. (AP) ? A Mississippi man who describes himself as a patriot with no grudges against anyone was expected to appear in court Monday on charges of making and possessing ricin, part of the investigation into poison-laced letters sent to President Barack Obama and others.
The arrest of 41-year-old James Everett Dutschke early Saturday capped a week in which investigators initially zeroed in on a rival of Dutschke's, then decided they had the wrong man. The hunt for a suspect revealed ties between the two men and an 80-year-old county judge who, along with Obama and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, was among the targets of the letters.
Dutschke's house, business and vehicles in Tupelo, Miss., were searched earlier in the week, often by crews in hazardous materials suits, and he had been under surveillance.
Dutschke (pronounced DUHS'-kee) was charged with "knowingly developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and possessing a biological agent, toxin and delivery system, for use as a weapon, to wit: ricin." U.S. attorney Felicia Adams and Daniel McMullen, the FBI agent in charge in Mississippi, made the announcement in a news release.
Dutschke's attorney, Lori Nail Basham, said she had no comment on the arrest at his Tupelo home, but earlier had said Dutschke was cooperating fully with investigators and insisted he had nothing to do with the letters. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
He already had legal problems. Earlier this month, he pleaded not guilty in state court to two child molestation charges involving three girls younger than 16. He also was appealing a conviction on a different charge of indecent exposure. He told The Associated Press last week that his lawyer told him not to comment on those cases.
The letters, which tests showed were tainted with ricin, were sent April 8 to Obama, Wicker and Mississippi judge Sadie Holland.
The first suspect accused by the FBI was Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, an Elvis impersonator. He was arrested on April 17 at his Corinth, Miss., home, but the charges were dropped six days later and Curtis, who says he was framed, was released from jail.
The focus then turned to Dutschke, who has ties to the former suspect, the judge and the senator. Earlier in the week, as investigators searched his primary residence in Tupelo, Dutschke told the AP, "I don't know how much more of this I can take."
"I'm a patriotic American. I don't have any grudges against anybody. ... I did not send the letters," Dutschke said.
Curtis' attorney, Christi McCoy, said Saturday: "We are relieved but also saddened. This crime is nothing short of diabolical. I have seen a lot of meanness in the past two decades, but this stops me in my tracks."
Some of the language in the letters was similar to posts on Curtis' Facebook page and they were signed, "I am KC and I approve this message." Curtis' signoff online was often similar.
Dutschke and Curtis were acquainted. Curtis said they had talked about possibly publishing a book on a conspiracy that Curtis insists he has uncovered to sell body parts on a black market. But he said they later had a feud.
Curtis' attorneys have said they believe their client was set up. An FBI agent testified that no evidence of ricin was found in searches of Curtis' home. Curtis attorney Hal Neilson said the defense gave authorities a list of people who may have had a reason to hurt Curtis and Dutschke's came up.
Judge Holland also is a common link between the two men, and both know Wicker.
Holland was the presiding judge in a 2004 case in which Curtis was accused of assaulting a Tupelo attorney a year earlier. Holland sentenced him to six months in the county jail. He served only part of the sentence, according to his brother.
Holland's family has had political skirmishes with Dutschke. Her son, Steve Holland, a Democratic state representative, said he thinks his mother's only encounter with Dutschke was at a rally in the town of Verona in 2007, when Dutschke ran as a Republican against Steve Holland.
Holland said his mother confronted Dutschke after he made a derogatory speech about the Holland family. She demanded that he apologize, which Holland says he did.
Dutschke said Steve Holland exaggerated the incident, and that he has no problem with Sadie Holland. "Everybody loves Sadie, including me," he said.
GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran is ready to resume talks with world powers on its disputed nuclear program and awaits word from the European Union on timing and details, Iran's deputy nuclear negotiator said on Thursday.
Ali Bagheri, in an interview with Reuters in Geneva, said Iran needed 20 percent-enriched uranium for its Tehran research reactor and four others being built, and was continuing to convert some of its stockpile into reactor fuel.
"We are waiting for Lady Ashton to call Dr. Jalili, and Dr. Jalili is obviously ready to take the call," Bagheri said.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton oversees diplomatic contacts with Iran on behalf of the the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany. Saeed Jalili is Iran's chief negotiator.
"We are waiting to see whether Lady Ashton's response is going to cover the time and venue of another round of negotiations, or will she limit her response to just discussing the substantive side of things," Bagheri said.
In Brussels, a spokesman for Ashton said she had consulted with foreign ministers on how to move forward the process. "Arrangements for a phone call with Dr. Jalili have already been made in order to discuss next steps," Michael Mann said.
The six powers and Iran failed in talks in the Kazakh capital Almaty this month to end the deadlock in a decade-old dispute over Tehran's nuclear program, prolonging a standoff that could yet spiral into a new Middle East war.
At those talks, the six asked Iran to suspend its most sensitive uranium-enrichment work in return for modest relief from international sanctions, an offer Tehran did not accept.
Iran's presidential election is set for June 14, leading to speculation on whether the next round of talks will take place before the poll. "We are ready to continue with the talks ... We have no limits as far as time is concerned," Bagheri said.
Israel, which has long hinted at possible air strikes to deny its arch-foe any means to make a nuclear bomb, suggested this week it would be patient before taking any military action.
Iran says its nuclear work is entirely peaceful and that it is only refining uranium to power a planned network of nuclear energy plants and for medical purposes. Critics accuse it of covertly seeking the means to produce nuclear weapons.
"NO CAUSE FOR CONCERN"
Bagheri, referring to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said: "I need to point out the Islamic Republic of Iran uranium enrichment activities to the level of 20 percent is under strict agency monitoring. Obviously activities that are being monitored by the agency are no cause for concern."
An IAEA report in February said Iran had in December resumed converting to oxide powder some of the uranium it has enriched to 20 percent fissile concentration, for the production of reactor fuel.
That helped restrain the growth of Iran's higher-grade uranium stockpile, a development that could buy more time for diplomacy.
In a potentially encouraging sign for the powers, Bagheri said on Thursday this conversion was continuing.
"We produce 20 percent uranium to provide fuel for Tehran's research reactor, also four other reactors in four different parts of Iran which are under construction. With this in mind, plans have been drawn up to convert 20 percent uranium to 20 percent oxide," Bagheri said.
"This is very much going according to plan. This activity is ongoing," he added.
The IAEA said on Tuesday it would hold a meeting with Iran on May 15 aimed at enabling its inspectors to resume a stalled investigation into suspected nuclear bomb research, the 10th round of talks since early 2012.
Bagheri said Iran was already cooperating fully with the IAEA but was willing to discuss requests "which go beyond our obligations" under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"We are very much hoping in this round of talks between my country and the agency, we no longer have such meddling and sabotaging of talks," he said.
"Experience tells us that usually certain Western parties, including the U.S., whenever we are close to striking a bargain, reaching an agreement, they interfere."
The IAEA-Iran talks are separate from, but have an important bearing on, the negotiations between Tehran and world powers. Iran's refusal to curb sensitive nuclear activity with both civilian and military applications and its lack of openness with IAEA inspectors have drawn U.N. and Western sanctions.
"Once we reach an agreement with the agency, we also expect the (six powers), because of such cooperation with the agency which goes well beyond our obligations, to lift a number of sanctions. Unilateral sanctions which are illegal," Bagheri said.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; additional reporting by Fredrik Dahl in Vienna and Justyna Pawlak in Brussels; editing by Andrew Roche)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? The federal government is going after Lance Armstrong's money. As much as it can get.
The Justice Department unveiled its formal complaint against Armstrong on Tuesday, saying the cyclist violated his contract with the U.S. Postal Service and was "unjustly enriched" while cheating to win the Tour de France.
The government had previously announced it would join a whistle-blower lawsuit brought by former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis under the federal False Claims Act. Tuesday was the deadline to file its formal complaint.
The Postal Service paid about $40 million to be the title sponsor of Armstrong's teams for six of his seven Tour de France victories. The filing in U.S. district court in Washington, D.C., says the USPS paid Armstrong $17 million from 1998-2004.
The lawsuit also names former team Armstrong team director Johan Bruyneel and team management company Tailwind Sports as defendants.
"Defendants were unjustly enriched to the extent of the payments and other benefits they received from the USPS, either directly or indirectly," the complaint said.
The financial costs for Armstrong and Bruyneel could be high. The government said it would seek triple damages assessed by the jury. Armstrong has been dropped by his personal sponsors and left the cancer-fighting foundation he started in 1997.
Armstrong had previously tried to negotiate a settlement, but those talks fell through before the government announced it would join the Landis lawsuit. Settlement talks could resume as the case proceeds to trial.
Armstrong, who in January admitted using performance-enhancing drugs after years of denials, has argued that the Postal Service's endorsement of his team earned the government agency far more than it paid him.
Armstrong attorney Elliot Peters called the government's complaint "opportunistic" and "insincere."
"The U.S. Postal Service benefited tremendously from its sponsorship of the cycling team. Its own studies repeatedly and conclusively prove this," Peters said. "The USPS was never the victim of fraud. Lance Armstrong rode his heart out for the USPS team, and gave the brand tremendous exposure during the sponsorship years."
The government must prove not only that the Postal Service was defrauded, but that it was damaged somehow.
Previous studies done for the Postal Service concluded the agency reaped at least $139 million in worldwide brand exposure in four years ? $35 million to $40 million for sponsoring the Armstrong team in 2001; $38 million to $42 million in 2002; $31 million in 2003; and $34.6 million in 2004.
Landis attorney Paul Scott dismissed the idea that money gained by the Postal Service should negate the claims of fraud. Scott the Postal Service is tainted by the drug scandal.
"Even if the USPS received some ephemeral media exposure in connection with Mr. Armstrong's false victories, any illusory benefit from those times will be swamped over time immemorial by the USPS forever being tied to the largest doping scandal in the history of sports," Scott said.
The formal complaint against Armstrong appears to rely heavily on evidence and statements supplied by Landis and gathered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for its 2012 investigation that exposed a doping program on the USPS team. Armstrong has been banned from sports for life and stripped of his seven Tour de France victories.
As Armstrong's teammate, Landis participated in the doping program. He was later stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title won with another team because of his own doping violations.
Bruyneel, who lives in London, also has been charged by USADA with doping violations but is fighting that case in arbitration.
The government notes the contract with the Postal Service required riders to follow the rules of cycling, which included bans on performance-enhancing drugs and methods. Armstrong now admits using steroids, blood boosters and other illegal performance-enhancing drugs and measures to win.
By breaking the rules and covering it up, Armstrong and Bruyneel committed fraud against the U.S. government, the complaint said.
The complaint said that for years, team officials assured the Postal Service that the team wasn't doping.
Armstrong had been the target of a federal criminal grand jury, but that case was closed without charges in February 2012. Armstrong has previously tried to settle the Landis whistleblower lawsuit, but those talks broke down before the government announced its intention to join the case.
Armstrong also is fighting a lawsuit from Dallas-based promotions company SCA to recover about $12 million it paid him in bonuses, and a lawsuit from the London-based Sunday Times, which wants to get back $500,000 it paid him to settle a libel case.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uIjo1sUy8ed6rmwq9JdrzWZvJwzNzERt0pau5yUUgsc6i8NO8d0p3BdiGB3kpb-j2Idh723mlx6nELmRIrdqUm5gzWTkurIj4_b1zVz0Q=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 21-Jun-2013
Share ]