Lance Armstrong and others called to testify in federal whistleblower case

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The US federal government has called on Lance Armstrong along with four of his colleagues to testify under oath in the federal whistleblower lawsuit in June. Armstrong’s friend John Korioth is scheduled to testify on June 12, his publicist Mark Higgins on June 13, his friend and former Oakley representative Stephanie McIlvain on June 26 and his coach Chris Carmichael on June 27.

Armstrong’s lawyers have requested that the federal courts delay such testimony until they receive the discovery evidence that they have requested. "The government has noticed the deposition of Lance Armstrong and third parties while simultaneously refusing to produce documents relevant to those depositions," USA Today reported that Armstrong's attorneys wrote in a court filing this week. "Litigation is not 'a game of blind man's bluff.'"

The government is aiming to recover nearly $100 million under the False Claims Act.

Armstrong's former teammate, Floyd Landis, filed the federal lawsuit and the government joined the case last year. The Texan is accused of defrauding the government because of doping during his cycling career with the US Postal Service team, which violated the sponsorship contract with the US Postal Service, a semi-independent federal agency.

An arbitration panel has already issued Armstrong a subpoena to provide videotaped testimony under oath about his use of banned drugs during his career as a professional cyclist in the SCA Promotions lawsuit. The Texas-based company is trying to recover roughly $12 million in bonuses that it paid out during the athlete’s seven Tour de France wins. The panel has requested Armstrong’s testimony on June 12 along with testimony from his longtime business manager Bill Stapleton on June 9.

Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles following the US Anti-Doping Agency’s Reasoned Decision that pointed to him being the leader of a longtime doping scandal.