NEU » rren Sharper in a drug and sexual assault cas

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Police investigating reports that American swimmer Ryan Lochte and three of his teammates were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi so far have found little evidence supporting the account, and say the swimmers were unable to provide key details in police interviews.A police official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press that police cannot find their taxi driver or witnesses. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.Lochtes attorney, Jeff Ostrow, said there was no question the robbery happened and that Lochte had 24-hour security hired after the incident. He had been staying in his hotel room and intended to go back to the U.S. soon.This happened the way he described it, Ostrow said.According to statements from Lochte and the United States Olympic Committee, the swimmers were returning to the athletes village by taxi after a night out at the French Olympic teams hospitality house in the Rodrigo de Freitas area in the upscale south zone of the city. The outing was several hours after Olympic swimming ended Saturday night at the Rio Games.Traveling with Lochte were Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen. Lochte swam in two events at the Rio Games, winning gold in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay. He is a 12-time Olympic medalist.The group did not call police, authorities said, and officers began investigating once they saw media reports in which Lochtes mother spoke about the robbery. Police interviewed Lochte and one other swimmer, who said they had been intoxicated and could not remember what type and color of taxi they rode in or where the robbery happened, the police official said. The swimmers also could not say what time the events occurred.Later in the day, Lochte described the incident to NBCs Today show .We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over, Lochte said. They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground -- they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didnt do anything wrong, so -- Im not getting down on the ground.And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, `Get down, and I put my hands up, I was like `whatever. He took our money, he took my wallet -- he left my cellphone, he left my credentials.Word of the robbery initially created confusion between Olympic and U.S. officials. An International Olympic Committee spokesman at first said reports of the robbery were absolutely not true, then reversed himself, apologized and said he was relying on initial information from the USOC that was wrong.Lochte told USA Today that he and his teammates didnt initially tell the U.S. Olympic officials about the robbery because we were afraid wed get in trouble.Scott Leightman, a spokesman for USA Swimming, said the organization has no further comment and referred back to a statement issued Sunday by the USOC that briefly described the robbery and said that all four swimmers were safe and cooperating with authorities.The incident got attention in part because of fears around street crime at the games. Athletes and visitors have been told to use caution around the Olympics. Street crime was a major concern of Olympic organizers, and Brazil deployed 85,000 soldiers and police to secure the games, twice as many as Britain used during the 2012 London Olympics.Authorities are treating the swimmers as victims and continuing to investigate, looking for security footage at the French hospitality house and nearby gas stations to build a timeline of the night. Security footage from the athletes village obtained by police shows the swimmers arriving at 6:56 a.m. on Sunday morning, the official said.Rio police commonly struggle to obtain information while investigating street crimes in Brazil as they encounter dozens of robberies a day in the violence-ridden city and lack the resources to get to the bottom of every case. Many such crimes dont even get reported by victims.Fake police stops like the one reported by Lochte happen in Rio, but are not common in that area, police say. They are typically a bigger problem in the poorer cities where police are less present.Lochte signed a statement on Monday confirming the facts he provided, his attorney said.Ryan was a hundred percent cooperative and fully available when they reached out to us for an interview, Ostrow said. He added: It doesnt behoove Ryan and anyone else to make up a story. Vinny Castilla Jersey . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. DJ LeMahieu Jersey . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/ . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. James Pazos Jersey . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. Ellis Burks Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. NEW ORLEANS -- The Latest on the trial of a co-defendant of former NFL star Darren Sharper in a drug and sexual assault case (all times local):10 a.m.The final defendant in the drug and sexual assault case against disgraced former NFL star Darren Sharper has entered a guilty plea.Brandon Licciardi (lih-CHAR-dee) pleaded guilty Friday to a conspiracy charge, averting a scheduled trial. Licciardi is a former New Orleans-area sheriffs deputy. His plea deal calls for a 17-year prison sentence.Earlier this week, former restaurant worker Erik Nunez pleaded guilty in the case in exchange for a possible 10-year sentence.Those deals still have to be formally accepted by a federal judge.Sharper, meanwhile, awaits formal sentencing. He could draw from 15 to 20 years after pleading guilty or no-contest in four states to charges arising from allegations that he drugged and raped as many as 16 women.---8 a.m.The final co-ddefendant in the case against disgraced former NFL star Darren Sharper is due back in court.ddddddddddddAfter guilty pleas from Sharper and another co-defendant, former St. Bernard Parish Sheriffs Deputy Brandon Licciardi (lih-CHAR-dee) was left to face trial Friday on federal charges that he distributed drugs with the intent to commit rape.After guilty or no-contest pleas in four states, Sharper once was expected to spend as little as nine years in prison under a multijurisdiction plea deal.But U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo rejected that sentence in February. Sharper faces a possible 15 to 20 years arising from allegations he drugged and raped as many as 16 women.Its unclear how much his cooperation in cases against his co-defendants will affect his sentencing in August. ' ' '