Dumb & Dumber

According to Outside Magazine, Tyler Hamilton was confronted by Lance Armstrong this past weekend at an Aspen restaurant. This is significant as Tyler Hamilton has recently testified against his former US Postal Service team leader in a federal criminal proceeding.

It appears that Armstrong has yet to learn his lesson, but while he was able to bully rivals in the peloton with impunity, the real world is quite a different place. More importantly, the world is an increasingly different place for Armstrong, whose problems are no longer measured solely in the metrics of public opinion, but also in legal statutes.

While it is unlikely that Armstrong will be prosecuted for the confrontation anywhere other than the court of public opinion, one wonders if the cyclist’s lawyers are concerned about the following section of the federal code:

United States Code: Title 18, Part I, Chapter 73, Section 1512: Tampering with a victim, witness or informant.

(d) Whoever intentionally harasses another person and thereby hinders, delays, prevents, or dissuades any person from—

(1) attending or testifying in an official proceeding;

(2) reporting to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation ^[1] supervised release,,^[1] parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;

(3) arresting or seeking the arrest of another person in connection with a Federal offense; or

(4) causing a criminal prosecution, or a parole or probation revocation proceeding, to be sought or instituted, or assisting in such prosecution or proceeding;

or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 3 years, or both.

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