American Swimmer Jimmy Feigen Agrees To Donate $11,000 To Leave Rio

He's the last Olympian involved in the Lochte scandal still in Brazil.
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An American Olympic gold medalist embroiled in “LochteGate” has agreed to pay nearly $11,000 to a Brazilian charity to leave Rio de Janeiro.

Jimmy Feigen is one of four swimmers at the center of a scandal that authorities say started when teammate Ryan Lochte falsely claimed he was robbed at gunpoint. Feigen will be allowed to return to the United States after he makes the donation, his lawyer said on Friday.

“After a long deliberation, this agreement was reached … he will donate 35,000 real (about $10,800) to an institute, and with that the case is resolved,” said Breno Melaragno, according to NBC News.

“After this donation is done, his passport will be given back to him, and he will be free to return home,” he added.

A judge ordered that Feigen’s passport be seized on Wednesday. The 4x100-meter freestyle relay gold medalist was the only remaining swimmer involved in the scandal who had not been allowed to leave Brazil, according to ABC News.

Lochte issued an apology for his behavior on Friday. He said he was sorry for “not being more careful and candid in how I described the events of that early morning and for my role in taking the focus away from the many athletes fulfilling their dreams of participating in the Olympics.”

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