There's no way that cyclist Floyd Landis or his coach Arnie Barker will stand trial in France on charges of obtaining data hacked from computers at a doping control lab in France, according to Landis' current team manager.
Wayne Hudson, manager of the Orca Velo Merino cycling team, said Landis was not losing any sleep over the news. The cyclist is currently racing in the week-long Tour of Southland in New Zealand where he's in 4th place overall.
A warrant against Baker and Landis was originally issued earlier in connection with a wide-ranging hacking probe in France. The two allegedly obtained evidence purloined from the Chatenay-Malabry lab during Landis's battle to refute the evidence that he had doped during the 2006 Tour de France. He lost the case and appeal, maintaining his innocence until this spring. The warrant came up for reconsideration recently.
“Ridiculous”
The AP reports that Judge Thomas Cassuto decided Oct. 15 that Landis and Baker should face trial but no date was set. Hudson told the AP:
“If nothing was done, (the warrant) would have lapsed. The question was whether the warrant should stay open or not. … But the warrant was never served on Floyd. So the suggestion he will stand trial in France is a ridiculous statement because they still have to serve him.”
In other words, Landis isn't planning to return to France anytime soon.
Landis “could not fail to be aware” that the internal lab documents he had acquired were obtained through hacking, according to judicial officials. Landis is charged with “receiving in the fraudulent intrusion,” according to the AP. Both Landis and Baker have denied the charges.
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