There has been no small amount of controversy over Ryan Lochte’s claim that he and others were robbed at gunpoint at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Lochte has never wavered about his version of the story. He says they were pulled over while riding a taxi by men wearing police badges, made to lay down on the ground with guns pointed at them.
“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.’ He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cell phone, he left my credentials,” he said, via Nichole Auerbach of USA Today Sports.
The Olympic swimmer’s claim was refuted by the International Olympic Committee, and now Brazilian judges have reportedly seized his passport in order to question him before he leaves the country.
Apparently Brazilian judges have seized the passports of American swimmers who they claim "lied" about the theft, including Ryan Lochte.
— Simon Clancy (@SiClancy) August 17, 2016
According to Andrew Gilpin of The Mirror, Lochte and the three others he was with the night of the alleged robbery arrived at the Olympic complex with the wallets and watches they claim were stolen.
“…images contradict the version of the swimmers and because of this Judge Keyla Blank, the Special Court of the Fan and Major Events banned the athletes from leaving the country.”
Apparently, the images show Lochte and the others putting their wallets and watches into the plastic trays next to the metal detectors they must pass through in order to enter the complex.
It remains to be seen if Lochte and the other three men will face further questioning about the incident. The Mirror notes it is thought Lochte has already left the country.