Federal prosecutor appointed to Landis probe

The United States of America’s Justice Department has appointed federal prosecutor Doug Miller to a probe into Floyd Landis’ accusations, according to the New York Daily News. Miller’s role will be to prosecute any case which may develop from the investigation.

Landis confessed to doping during his own professional career in an e-mail to USA Cycling leaked to selected media outlets - including Cyclingnews.com - last month. The e-mail implicated several major cycling figures in the practice or knowledge of doping, including Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer and Jim Ochowicz.

Miller, an assistant U.S. Attorney, can apply for search warrants and cooperation agreements which Novitzky might need to collect evidence for any case which could materialise from the allegations. He has experience with sports doping cases having played a role in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) case – recognised at the time as one of the largest sports doping rings ever uncovered.

While unrelated to Miller’s work on the case, it also involved a cyclist in track rider Tammy Thomas. She was convicted of making false statements to a federal grand jury and sentenced to six months house arrest and five years probation in October, 2008.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is currently investigating Landis’ claims against the USA residence implicated by the rider. The International Cycling Union (UCI) has called for the French, Belgian and Australian national federations to investigate others implicated in the e-mail, while it has attempted to clear its own name of any wrongdoing over money accepted from Armstrong prior to his first retirement from cycling.