The U.S. Department of
Justice said Friday it has joined the
whistle-blower lawsuit against cyclist
Lance Armstrong that was originally
filed by a former teammate.

The Justice Department will file its
formal complaint in 60 days.

Armstrong, the onetime legendary
and now disgraced cyclist, has
admitted to using performance-
enhancing drugs. He was the team's
lead rider when the U.S. Postal Service
sponsored the team from 1996 to
2004 and Armstrong won six of his
seven Tour de France titles, the Justice
Department said.

The civil lawsuit alleges that
Armstrong and former team
managers submitted false claims for
government funds to the sponsoring
Postal Service by their "regularly
employing banned substances and
method to enhance their
performance" in violation of the
sponsorship agreement, the federal
announcement said.

www.cnn.com/2013/02/22/us/doj-armstrong-lawsuit/index.html?hpt=hp_t2