Doping Whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov Allegedly Targeted for Assassination by Russians

Doping whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov has allegedly been targeted for assassination by Russia according to his lawyer. Jim Walden, an attorney and former federal prosecutor, said U.S. government officials warned him that the Russians may have people on the ground “looking for him” in the United States.

Walden, a partner with the firm Walden Macht & Haran LLP, believes his client faces a deadly threat from Russian agents operating at the behest of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Walden told Yahoo News that U.S. government officials have told him “you have to assume there are people here looking for him” and that “if they get the opportunity, they will take him out.”

Rodchenkov was the former director of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA). He was also the self-described mastermind behind a systematic, state-sponsored doping program involving top Russian athletes. Rodchenkov defected to the United States in 2015. 

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has granted him protection in the Federal Witness Protection Program also known as the Witness Security Program (WITSEC). Rodchenkov is in the WITSEC program as a potential witness if the DOJ pursues racketeering charges Russian officials who were responsible for Russia’s doping program.

Walden’s fears for his client’s safety are not unfounded. Two of Rodchenkov’s colleagues have died under mysterious circumstances within a matter of weeks in February 2016. Former RUSADA executive director Nikita Kamayev died of an apparent heart attack and former RUSADA general director Vyacheslav Sinev died of unknown causes.

In addition, Leonid Tyagachev, the honorary president of the Russian Olympic Committee, explicitly called for Rodchenkov’s execution as a consequence for his accusations of Russia doping its athletes.

“Rodchenkov should be shot for lying, like Stalin would have done,” said Tyagachev.

Walden’s comments come after President Putin accused the United States of manipulating Rodchenkov for political purposes. Putin even suggested that U.S. intelligence officials have resorted to drugging Rodchenkov in order to elicit false testimony about a state-sponsored doping program in Russia.

“[Rodchenkov’s defection to the United States] is not a positive for us, it's a negative. It means he's under the control of American special services," Putin said. "What are they doing with him there? Are they giving him some kind of substances so that he says what's required? … The scandal is being created ahead of the domestic political calendar.”

Russian prosecutors have filed criminal charges against Rodchenkov. He has been accused of drug trafficking involving anabolic steroids and other doping agents. Russia is reportedly seeking Rodchenkov’s extradition to face the charges in his homeland. Given the lack of an extradition treaty between the U.S. and Russia, Rodchenkov will likely remain in the United States for the foreseeable future.

“[The Russians] are lobbying U.S. government officials behind closed doors for his extradition back to Russia. If they succeeded,” Walden wrote, “Dr. Rodchenkov would face death and torture at their hands.”

Source:

Isikoff, M. (December 26, 2017). As Putin seethes over Olympic ban, doping whistleblower fears for his life. Retrieved from https://www.yahoo.com/news/putin-seethes-olympic-ban-doping-whistleblower-fears-life-100019751.html