Swimmer Jimmy Feigen donating $11,000 to Rio charity as part of "settlement" to return to U.S.

[anneboleyn]

Source: CNN live

Breaking right now on CNN. Swimmer Jimmy Feigen has agreed to donate $11,000 to a Rio charity as part of a "settlement" so that he can leave Rio and return to the United States.



Read more: Breaking on CNN now

[citood]

1. A little more white collar than holding him at gunpoint at a gas station

But essentially the same.

[anneboleyn]

2. I agree. It is insane to me -- it is all over the news now. When Feigen makes the "donation," he wil

get his passport returned to him.

[forest444]

62. Absolutely. And you can bet it'll go to the dictator's favorite charity:

himself.

[tblue37]

69. Shakedown. nt

[McCamy Taylor]

3. This sounds like extortion to me.

If you were drunk as a skunk in a country where you did not speak the language and an armed cop made you sit on the ground and hand over money, might you assume that you had just been robbed at gunpoint? And if the same government refused to let you leave the country unless you forked over money, might you assume that you had been robbed again?

Not good pr, Rio. You should never have asked for the $11K,. It makes it all about the money. How many other tourists will be forced to donate to charity in order to leave? If the guy committed a crime, indict him. Don't just take his money.

[citood]

4. Quote from the USOC Apology today

"An argument ensued between the athletes and two armed gas station security staff, who displayed their weapons, ordered the athletes from their vehicle and demanded the athletes provide a monetary payment. Once the security officials received money from the athletes, the athletes were allowed to leave"

Essentially this apology describes extortion, at best.

[tblue37]

70. I have long thought that Lochte's version of the event was not far off

from what really happened, except that he omitted the swimmers' bad behavior and also exaggerated his own "bravery" during the confrontation.

Both Lochte and the security guards at the gas station were at fault. It wasn't just Lochte who deserved blame.

[LiberalFighter]

5. I sure as hell won't be visiting Rio.

[SunSeeker]

28. +1

[Meshuga]

30. It's your loss since it is a beautiful city n/t

[SunSeeker]

32. Loss is exactly why people don't want to go there.

A college friend of mine was robbed and raped by her taxi driver in Rio in the 1980s. I imagine things are worse there now.

[LiberalFighter]

33. Thumbs up!

[Meshuga]

35. That is unfortunate

And awful thing to happen to anyone. But it can happen here in the US.

Not all Brazilian cab drivers are rapists and that is not a normal thing there. I have plenty of friends and family in Brazil. I send my teenage child (who does not speak Portuguese) there for the summer and never had any incidents or fear that something like that will happen.

My uncle was stabbed to death in NJ back in 1990. But I would it is silly to justify a fear for going there.

But you can think what you will and keep your prejudices.

[SunSeeker]

41. There are many beautiful coastlines in Latin America, without the crime & pollution of Rio.

Costa Rica has stunning rain forests, Peru has the amazing Machu Picchu, and neither involves stepping over rivers of human sewage or putting yourself at high risk of being a victim of violent crime. That is why those two places are on my bucket list and Rio is not.

I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings. It has nothing to do with "prejudices." Resorting to such a personal attack was unwarranted.

[Meshuga]

48. It is not a matter of being offended

I am not.

The truth is where you wish to go on vacation is none of my business and I don't really care.

However, calling out the ignorance and prejudice is not an attempt at a personal attack but stating a fact.

For example, if you know better you would know that you don't have to "step on rivers of human sewage" if you go to Rio. Unless you really go out of your way to do so.

[SunSeeker]

49. "Olympic Beach Water Includes High Levels of Bacteria"

Although some Olympic officials have insisted that the water is safe for swimmers, evidence of contamination was found in water samples collected by ABC News and sent to a lab just outside Rio for testing.

One sample was taken from the shore of Guanabara Bay, and another was taken at Copacabana Beach, where marathon swimming will take place.

ABC News’ testing snapshot of water from Guanabara Bay found levels of viruses and fecal bacteria far above what would get a beach closed in many states in the U.S.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/olympic-beach-water-includes-high-levels-bacteria-found/story?id=41104152

[Meshuga]

58. You don't go into guanabara bay as a tourist

Or a local.

sad that the IOC chose to do competition on the polluted bay just because of the backdrop, as opposed to other open ocean waters like Barra da Tijuca, São Conrado, Recreio, etc.

It's like choosing to do events on the East River if the Olympic Games were in NYC.

[SunSeeker]

50. "Belgian sailor falls ill because of Rio’s gross water"

Belgian sailor Evi Van Acker, a bronze medalist in the laser radial competition at the 2012 London Olympics, fell ill Wednesday after competing in this year’s event at the Rio Games, and her coach maintains it’s because of the sewage-choked waters of Guanabara Bay, where this year’s sailing events take place.

In fact, Van Acker has been sick since July, when she arrived in Rio for training races on the bay.

“Evi caught a bacteria in early July that causes dysentery,” Coach Wil Van Bladel told Belgian TV network VRT, per the Associated Press. “Doctors say this can seriously disrupt energy levels for three months. It became clear yesterday that she lacked energy during tough conditions. She could not use full force for a top condition. … The likelihood that she caught it here during contact with the water is very big.”

Van Acker’s next scheduled laser radial heat is Friday at around noon EDT. Described by the AP as a favorite to return to the medal stand, she currently sits in 10th place with four preliminary heats remaining before Monday’s medal race. The Belgian Olympic Committee said in a statement that physiologists are working with Van Acker ahead of Friday’s race “so she can get the most out of her energy reserves.”

Laser radial sailing involves one-person boats. As you can see from this video, the sailors often dangle precariously over the edge of their boats, in close proximity to the water.

The AP has been monitoring virus and bacteria levels in Guanabara Bay for some time now, finding dangerously high levels of both because of the human sewage that more or less is poured directly into the water. Before the Games began, a biologist who reviewed the AP’s data advised anyone traveling to Rio to not “put your head under water,” a challenging proposition for Olympic athletes in open-water competitions. Olympic officials have maintained that the bay is safe, even though a number of other competitors were sickened during sailing test events last year.

Denmark’s Allan Norregaard, a longtime critic of the IOC’s decision to hold the races on such a polluted body of water, had no comment on Van Acker’s illness but instead blasted the weather conditions, calling them “just not suitable for the games. … It’s scandalous.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/08/12/belgian-sailor-falls-ill-because-of-rios-gross-water/

[MADem]

57. +1,000! Sao Paulo is pretty nervewracking, too.

We're not talking "Caracas-level" in VZ (that's a situation that's singular in this world--if not the highest crime rate, it's 2nd or 3rd if they are lucky) where most murders are NOT investigated, but it's pretty bad.

[LiberalFighter]

34. I'm willing to accept that loss.

[Meshuga]

42. So do the ethnocentric and most people who are limited...

...to their own prejudices.

[LiberalFighter]

63. You are not going to change many minds with that statement.

[MADem]

67. He's done nothing but insult the people who object to this extortion, and

he casts aspersions on their character, essentially calling them bigots or people who don't "know their Latin American history," if they have a problem with this dispensation of 'justice.'

It's offensive.

[Meshuga]

71. I am not trying to change minds

It's a waste of time trying to change the mind of people who come to conclusions based on stereotypes.

[Nye Bevan]

36. Just don't trash any bathrooms and then lie and say your taxi got pulled over by fake cops,

and that you were robbed, and you will be absolutely fine.

[stopbush]

6. No doubt that settlement was reached with input from Feigen's legal team.

Why assume the money was extorted? The US legal team could have made the proposal. It's the American way to make problems disappear by throwing money at them.

[citood]

14. Because he hadn't even been charged with a crime,

yet was prevented from leaving the country. They seem to have skipped that whole charging/trying/convicting process.

"Why assume the money was extorted"

and

"The US legal team could have made the proposal" would be considered an offer/acceptance of a bribe.

[stopbush]

16. The authorities probably told him what charges they were prepared to bring.

The charges probably contained sanctions far worse than donating $11k to charity. So they cut a deal. Happens every day in just about every court in the world.

[citood]

21. Happens all the time

"Happens every day in every court in the world."

Yep

I know a woman from India, who worked for years saving up enough money to buy her sister's passport back, so she could leave Saudi Arabian pseudo slavery. I am very aware that passports are held for ransom all over the world.

Doesn't make it right though.

[stopbush]

23. The legal system avails itself of settlements and plea bargains everyday.

That, or we can throw even more people in jail for minor crimes as they await a "fair" trial.

[4lbs]

7. I think the USOC should take away all of their prize monies, if any, and give them to

Brazilian charities, outside of any other 'settlement'.

That way, any 'settlement', will come directly out of the swimmers' pockets, and not the USOC.

[GusBob]

8. Holy crap!

Or should I say Holy Piss!

I am glad there were not cameras around when I was that age.....

[ananda]

9. OK.

I was thinking a hefty fine, but this will do.

I just didn't want to see the athletes stuck
in jail or a legal quagmire.

They did wrong. There should be consequences.

So this is OK with me.

[Angel Martin]

10. Swimmer Jimmy Feigen has agreed to donate $11,000 to a Rio charity as part of a "settlement"

Yeah, but it wasn't a "ransom".

Th payment had nothing to do with him being released.

[MADem]

19. Not even close. The guy wasn't using BRAZIL's money to pay his fine....er, charitable donation. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

26. It was not a damn bribe...

it was money we took from Iran when the Shah was in power for military goods. The goods were not received due to the shah being deposed. The case has been in international courts for years. We got off easy- the court could have given them much more interest than what we will be giving. With the easing of sanctions against Iran, it just made sense to get it over with.

[SunSeeker]

31. Nice little right wing talking point you got there...

[Judi Lynn]

37. Why lie about a Democratic President's actions to a Democratic message board population? n/t

[stopbush]

17. Of course it did. Who said it didn't?

Probably made a settlement that included no crimes bring listed in the record.

[Renew Deal]

11. A shakedown

[citood]

15. A shakedown...very similar to what happened at the gas station.

[Nye Bevan]

38. Aka a "plea bargain".

He could have fought the charges and hoped to be vindicated. Obviously he saw that paying the fine and settling the charges was the better alternative. As many defendants do.

[roamer65]

40. Careful now...we may be a Zika infected cesspool soon as well.

Let's leave a tragic disease like Zika out of a spat like this one. I feel sorry for the folks affected by it everywhere.

[Meshuga]

43. Right. Those savages!

I am so shocked to come here to see these types of posts. Surprised to see progressives with backward 19th century thinking and attitude.

[MADem]

55. I'm shocked to see anyone championing a shakedown without due process.

Very odd, that. Might makes right? We'll hold your passport for ransom?

And all that talk about "savages?" I find it interesting that it is all coming from YOU. Anyone reading this thread can see that you are using that word repeatedly here.

You're the one repeating the meme, and scolding people for objecting to what amounts to extortion at the judicial level.

[Meshuga]

59. I use that word repeatedly

Because the disdain shown here is very in tune with how Americans view and treat Latin American countries throughout history.

Funny that you choose to call it a shakedown as if the Brazilian government is saying "pay us or else," which is not the case at all, as opposed to claiming it to be a bribe.

Lochte will likely have to give the same amount to charity when all is said and done, and he is already here in the US.

The other two swimmers did not have to pay anything because they did not lie and were not charged.

Type of posts like yours (full of assumptions) are the reason why I am being repetitive in this thread.

[MADem]

60. And you have no idea who you're talking to when you make those assumptions, do you?

There are many people of color and varying ethnicities on this board, some of whom are participating in this very thread.

You might want to take your disdainful assumptions and pack them away. They are insufferable. And you might want to look at your own sanctimonious, assumption-laden posts before you continue with the name calling.

No one is saying these swimmers did nothing wrong--the objection is to the process. The shakedown, apparently, is a Brazilian tradition, from the gas stations to the halls of justice. It is shameful.

But hey, we Americans--of all colors and ethnicities--we happen to like that "due process" shit. That's what Mr. Khan was talking about when he waved his copy of the Constitution at Donald Trump...

It's not surprising that Brazil has problems--they pulled that shakedown routine on their own President, so I suppose we shouldn't expect visitors to be treated any better.

But you go on with your bad self, and your "assumptions."

[Meshuga]

61. Your argument is a strawman

I am not making any assumption about people but about what their saying and their attitude.

If you ever study Latin America and its history you will see that the attitudes are not any different.

Just because people are from different ethnicities and background does not have anything to do with anything.

I never made any assumptions of people's races or background. Only you assumed that I thought I was arguing with a specific ethnicity in mind, which says a lot more about you than about me.

[MADem]

64. No, it isn't. And it's not an "argument," it's an observation.

Unless you're suggesting that the judiciary conducts business in a substantially different way than those security guards at the gas station.

There was no due process--it was a quid pro quo. That smart ass swimmer paid 11K to get his passport back.

I'm not the one here making snarky comments about "savages" as though people here--most of whom you don't know--are Great White Ugly Americans looking down on the brown south of the border. YOU are. Your characterizations, frankly, are offensive.

"If you study Latin America and its history....."



There you go again. You are the Way and the Light, and the rest of us are idiots who haven't "studied" our Latin American history.

You make assumptions (yet AGAIN) with that very comment, and they get you in trouble.


You shouldn't do that.

[MADem]

18. Yet another shakedown!!

Those drunkards didn't cover themselves in glory, they behaved disgracefully, and they certainly should be ashamed of themselves, but Brazil is doing a "Heckuvajob Brownie" at holding a gun (literally or figuratively) to the heads of misbehaving nitwits. A straightforward fine that goes into the grinding wheels of justice would have been a more sensible way to dispatch this event.


It sounds like they held him up again--donate eleven thousand bucks, and we'll give you your passport. Quid pro quo!

[Meshuga]

46. Right, those uncivilized people from Brazil

and their uncivilized government shaking down our boys.

The negotiated fine is not a new thing used by Brazilian authorities to shake people down. This is common practice.

The US State Department and the Brazilian government come up with solutions to avoid a diplomatic crises and set up this penalty system to avoid putting American citizens who commit minor crimes through the Brazilian justice system.

The money is always given to a local charity as the form of punishment for wrong doing.

In this case, the money was used to buy material for a local NGO that helps the local poor. The swimmer did not have to give cash to Brazilian authorities but provide a receipt from the charity before leaving the country.

I know it is easy to assume that those savages from South America would try to extort as much as they can from our civilized and superior American people.

But it is merely a negotiation between Brazil and the US to serve justice (while helping the local poor) without having to put US citizens through the Brazilian justice system.

[MADem]

54. Awww, look at you, I'll bet you'd love to have that system here, too!!

It's a shakedown. Where I come from, two wrongs don't make a right.

And "superior people" follow something called the RULE OF LAW.

[YOHABLO]

20. How much money does it take to fix a bathroom door and a broken mirror?

Will the other swimmers involved be held to the same amount of payment? Sounds like extortion to me.

[Meshuga]

29. The money is not for the damages

The money went to a charity. Feigen had to show the receipt for the donated material before he was allowed to leave the country.

[MADem]

56. Naaah, the question now (that other stuff was paid for at gunpoint at the gas station)

is "How much will you pay in ransom to get your passport back?"

Those young men were not saints, they were drunk, rude, and disruptive, and they caused property damage--but I'm of the mind that two wrongs do not make a right, and this fellow is being extorted because he's the one they managed to catch.

[Qutzupalotl]

22. Rio de Dinero. nt

[MADem]

66. LOL! nt

[The Sushi Bandit]

24. ONE WORD: EXTORTION

BRIBE IS ALSO A GOOD WORD TOO!

[Meshuga]

27. Exactly

But "extortion" is a preferred word by some because they see South Americans as uncivilized and inferior.

The fact is that the US State Department and the Brazilian Government set these "fines" so US citizens don't have to go through the Brazilian justice system. Especially for smaller incidents like this one. This is not a new thing.

The amount of these fines are usually donated to a charity, which it was in this case. Feigen had to show the receipt for the donated material before he was allowed to leave the country.

[Judi Lynn]

39. It's racist, ignorant chavinism. Their self-centered rage was stirred too much

for them to engage their brains and sort it out for themselves.

Speaks very poorly for people attempting to pass themselves off as Democrats.

[Meshuga]

44. I am shocked with the ignorance

around here. Not what I expected at all.

[Judi Lynn]

45. There are a lot of imposters. Some are fairly skilled at their craft,

provocation until you step over the line in irritation, then they alert and you are the one who pays the penalty.

Better to watch your step, measure your words, and disappoint them when they can't upset you.

Too many very bright, very worthwhile, wonderful people who have been absolutely beloved here have been attacked so nastily they simply wanting to associate themselves with the place, or were sacked for their responses. Sad.

[Meshuga]

47. Thanks for the head's up!

I haven't been to DU in a long while.

[BlueMTexpat]

52. I would like to thank you for

flushing out some new candidates for my Ignore List.

And for your defense of Brazil in general!

[BlueMTexpat]

53. +1! eom

[JudyM]

25. Ought to be donated to offset some of the budget-cutting to the Paralympics.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141554520

[oasis]

51. Justice served with a cherry on top.

[GOLGO 13]

65. There is no humane reason to go to such a "place".

Take you life in your hands going to such "places".