Officials probing possible fraud and doping charges against U.S. cycling champion Lance Armstrong and his associates are issuing grand jury subpoenas to witnesses, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
The investigation was sparked by former Tour de France winner Floyd Landis, who alleged that he and other riders on the U.S. Postal Service team engaged in doping in the early to mid-2000s.
Landis claimed the team used its funds to buy doping products and said seven-time Tour winner Armstrong had encouraged doping.
Several people briefed on the case told The Times, on the condition of anonymity, that federal investigators had started issuing subpoenas to witnesses.
The news is thought to demonstrate how seriously authorities are taking Landis’ allegations.
Landis himself is not believed to be among the witnesses that authorities want to question at this point.
The controversial cycling figure was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title when he tested positive for testosterone. After years of consistently claiming his innocence, he finally confessed to doping last month.
And in a bid to "clear his conscience," he took his claims much further, accusing Armstrong, several other former teammates, and the U.S. Postal Service team of doping offenses.
Armstrong, currently riding in the 2010 Tour de France, has broadly dismissed Landis' allegations and questioned his credibility.
He said the claims were like "a carton of sour milk: once you take the first sip, you don't have to drink the rest to know it has all gone bad."
