Mercier, who said he quit the sport in 1997 because of his refusal to dope, is a friend of both Tygart’s and Armstrong’s.
.. Tygart noted that in June 2012, his agency was prepared to offer Armstrong a six-month penalty similar to those given to the other riders who had helped its investigation. Armstrong refused, and has continued to do so, and Usada proved its case without him.
“It was a huge missed opportunity,” Tygart said. Using the French acronym for the cycling union, he added: “It would have gotten rid of the leadership of the U.C.I. a lot quicker, and it would have gotten rid of other people in the system who were implicated in doping.
Bank of New York Mellon Will Settle Currency Trade Case for $714 Million
The authorities accused the bank of assuring clients that they would receive the best possible rate when executing a currency trade. In reality, the authorities said, the bank did just the opposite: It provided clients “prices that were at or near the worst interbank rates,” enabling the bank to make extra cash during the 2008 financial crisis.
.. The victims included New York City pension funds and prominent private investors, the authorities said. City investors included teachers and police officers, while the private investment funds belonged to the likes of Duke University and the Walt Disney Company.
.. Still, the $714 million settlement amounts to a fraction of the roughly $2 billion in suspected ill-gotten gains that Mr. Schneiderman’s office initially sought as a penalty.
.. Under the terms of the Bank of New York Mellon settlement, the bank must “end the employment of certain executives involved in the fraud,” including David Nichols, a managing director at the bank whom Mr. Bharara’s office sued in 2012.
.. The settlement requires the bank to “effectuate the separation” of Mr. Nichols, but it does not say when he must leave the bank nor does it require him to pay any financial penalty to the government.
Israel’s Netanyahu spent $24,000 on takeout, and it’s causing a scandal
The comptroller’s office warned of more investigations in the offing — into the issue of improper bottle recycling by the Netanyahus, for one. Apparently, the couple pocketed $1,000 in cash refunds paid by stores when staff returned drink bottles for deposit. The bottles were purchased by the state, the report noted, and so the refunds should have been returned to the treasury.
Doping Was Ignored in Lance Armstrong Era, Inquiry Finds
The 227-page report detailed how Mr. Armstrong’s extraordinary influence had not only compelled officials to ignore drug use but had also enabled his lawyer to secretly write and edit the report of an earlier investigation into Mr. Armstrong’s doping practices.