Landis wired for sound and video in doping investigation

Floyd Landis wore an audio and video wire tap to gather evidence for the ongoing US federal probe into doping in cycling, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

The surveillance material he gathered is said to relate specifically to Michaell Ball, the fashion designer and former owner of the now deunct Rock Racing cycling team which featured a number of Lance Armstrong’s former teammates.

At the same time as a US Anti Doping Agency investigation into systematic doping in cycling is ongoing, a federal investigation looking into possible criminal activities associated with the sport is being conducted by the feared Food and Drug Administration criminal investigator Jeff Novitzky.  It was at his behest that Landis gathered evidence, said to include images of human growth hormone and other doping products in a fridge at Ball’s Los Angeles apartment.

While Ball is not thought to have any direct connection with Lance Armstrong - who appears to be very much in Novitzky's sights - the fact that he employed several of the Texan’s former teammates for Rock Racing, including the disgraced Tyler Hamilton, could heap yet more discomfort on Armstrong.

Ball had unsuccessfully attempted to sign Landis for Rock Racing after he had completed his two year ban for doping offences relating to the 2006 Tour de France.

Having procured the video and audio evidence, the Food and Drug Administration is said to have obtained a search warrant and subsequently raided Ball’s apartment in order to seize the doping products.

Landis is co-operating with both the USADA and federal investigations into doping in cycling. The latter investigation is the one which is considered the more serious for Armstrong as it carries the full weight of the US state behind it. The US Department of Justice in interested in the case as the US Postal cycling team received federal money which, Landis claims, was used in a sophisticated and systematic doping programme.

Separate to the other investigations, Landis has filed his own “whistleblower” lawsuit against Armstrong and four associates: Bill Stapleton, Bart Knaggs, Thom Weisel and Johann Bruyneel. The lawsuit will effectively allow the US state to join him in suing the five, if it believes that government money was used for illegal purposes.

Armstrong and his associates have strenuously denied any wrong-doing and have suggested that Landis is motivated by greed, given that he would be in line to receive a percentage of any money recovered from them by the government.