Must Reads: Tibco bike thief sentenced, IRS reviews Livestrong
Lance Armstrong allegedly threatened to use the cancer charity against then-candidate Barack Obama in 2008
Boise bike thief sentenced — Idaho Statesman
The man responsible for the theft of Tibco-To The Top’s team bikes on the eve of the Exergy Tour in May was sentenced last week to 14 years in prison for theft of bikes valued at more than $140,000. Judge Timothy Hansen placed Michael Lawrence in a Idaho Department of Corrections treatment program for up to a year; Hansen will decide following that term whether Lawrence should complete his full sentence.
“Lawrence has an eye for expensive bikes, police say. They say they have evidence Lawrence stole five bikes worth more than $10,000 total from businesses on Vista Avenue in early June,” writes Patrick Orr. “Police found two of those bikes, each worth about $3,500, in June locked together near St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center.”
IRS reviews Livestrong — Roopstigo
Former Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts reports that the Internal Revenue Service is reviewing the Livestrong Foundation in the wake of the Armstrong Affair. According to Roberts, questions over separating Armstrong’s and Livestrong’s brands for donors and events paying the former appearance fees are dogging the Austin, Texas, charity.
“In October, Betsy Andreu and Kathy LeMond described to Roopstigo a 2008 email Armstrong had sent to Sen. John Kerry that threatened to use the Livestrong database against the Democratic Party if then-presidential hopeful Barack Obama did not attend the cyclist’s cancer summit,” writes Roberts. “Although there is no evidence that Armstrong acted on the ultimatum — Obama was in Germany and did not attend the event — it is against 501(c)(3) regulations for a tax-exempt organization to wield political influence either for or against political candidates.”