U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte has been cleared of criminal charges after an incident at a gas station at the Rio Olympics last summer, USA Today and TMZ.com reported Friday.
Lochte had been charged with falsely communicating a crime to authorities after a TV interview in which he said he and three other U.S. swimmers had been stopped and robbed and gunpoint as their cab tried to pull away from the service station.
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They had stopped to use the gas station’s restroom, USA Today said.
Rio police alleged the athletes had vandalized the restroom – breaking a mirror and destroying a poster outside of the restroom. Police said the swimmers had lied and no crime had been committed against them.
An appeals court reversed a lower court’s decision Thursday, ruling that Brazilian law was not broken, USA Today said.
“We are pleased that the court has finally dismissed the criminal prosecution against Mr. Lochte, while at the same time, appropriately recognizing that he committed no crime. It has been a long year, but in the end, justice prevailed,” said Jeff Ostrow, Lochte’s Florida-based attorney, in a statement to USA Today.
Lochte was suspended from the U.S. national swim team for 10 months for his actions at the gas station, a penalty that ended July 1, USA Today reported.