“Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Armstrong on Friday [Feb. 3, 2012], ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether the world’s most famous cyclist and his teammates joined in a doping program during his greatest years.
Armstrong steadfastly has denied he doped during his unparalleled career, but the possibility of criminal charges threatened to stain not only his accomplishments, but his cancer charity work as well. Instead, another attempt to prove a star athlete used performance-enhancing drugs has fallen short, despite years of evidence gathering across two continents.
‘I am gratified to learn that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is closing its investigation,’ Armstrong said in a statement. ‘It is the right decision and I commend them for reaching it. I look forward to continuing my life as a father, a competitor, and an advocate in the fight against cancer without this distraction.’
U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. announced in a press release that his office ‘is closing an investigation into allegations of federal criminal conduct by members and associates of a professional bicycle racing team owned in part by Lance Armstrong.'”