Rio Police Pull US Swimmers Off Plane Home for Lying to Rio Police

Update 8/19: Jimmy Feigen, one of the U.S. Olympic swimmers caught up in Ryan Lochte's fabricated tale of robbery in Rio reached a deal with authorities to donate $11,000 in order to leave Brazil, his lawyer said early Friday.

Two American swimmers were pulled off their flight to the United States by Brazilian authorities, United States Olympic officials said Wednesday night, the latest indication that the police are skeptical of the swimmers' claims that they were held up at gunpoint during the Rio Games.

"We can confirm that Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were removed from their flight to the United States by Brazilian authorities," a spokesman for the United States Olympic Committee said. "We are gathering further information."

Ryan Lochte is back in Florida. Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger were removed from a US bound plane by Rio police. Jimmy Feigen missed his flight and remained at the Olympic village.

The incident where the 4 were allegedly held at gunpoint and robbed, deeply embarrassed the Brazilian government. To be fair, filing a false police report is a misdemeanor in any American jurisdiction as well.

Lochte and his companions have told different stories at different times. As we reported on 8/14:

Olympic swimmers -- Ryan Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen -- were riding in a Rio de Janeiro taxi toward their temporary homes in the Olympic Village when they were stopped by armed men and robbed early Sunday morning. The robbers were armed men dressed as police officers and approached the men as they were stopped at a gas station.

But not according to Lochte, who changed his story yesterday and said it was untrue. But then Lochte flip flopped again and admitted to NBC news that it was true. Ok, got that?

The USOC said the four Olympic Adonises are safe and have filed police reports and gone on with their Olympic lives. Thus ends a strange tale of lies and videotape, as the men changed their stories several times, apparently attempting to spare their hosts any embarrassment, or something.

Ryan Steven Lochte is an American competitive swimmer and a 12-time Olympic medalist, which ranks him tied second in swimming behind Michael Phelps. His seven individual Olympic medals rank near the top in men's swimming

The morning began with Ben Way of Fox Sports Australia reporting that Ileana Lochte, the swimmers mom, said that Brian had texted her and said he was robbed at gunpoint by armed men posing as police officers. His wallet was taken but he was otherwise fine.

Not long after that was reported, the IOC, the USOC and Ryan Lochte himself said the story was untrue (with no explanation as to why his mother was saying such things).