Ryan Lochte Charged with Making False Robbery Report: Latest Comments, Reaction

United States swimmer Ryan Lochte has been charged with making a false robbery report stemming from his fabrication of an altercation that occurred at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Olympics, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, MSNBC reported (via NBC News) Lochte had been summoned to Rio by police for a new hearing regarding his claims.

"A police statement said Lochte would be informed in the United States so he could decide whether to introduce a defense in Brazil," according to the AP's Mauricio Savarese. "The indictment will also be sent to the International Olympic Committee's ethics commission."

Following a night out partying with fellow U.S. swimmers Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen, Lochte alleged that the group was robbed at gunpoint by men who pulled over their taxi. 

However, Lochte backtracked on his claims days later after Brazilian police said the U.S. swimmer fabricated claims of a robbery.

"No robbery was committed against these athletes. They were not victims of the crimes they claimed," Civil Police chief Fernando Veloso said, according to Savarese, Peter Prengaman and Luis Andres Henao of the AP. 

Lochte is alleged to have vandalized a bathroom at a gas station, which prompted armed guards to confront them and ask them to pay for the damage. 

"I overexaggerated that story," Lochte said during an exclusive interview with NBC's Matt Lauer (via NBC News' Elizabeth Chuck). 

"I'm not making me being intoxicated like an excuse, I'm not doing that at all," Lochte told Lauer. "It was my fault, and I shouldn't have said it."

Lochte also issued an apology on Instagram in which he expressed remorse for fabricating his initial claims:

According to Savarese, Lochte could face a maximum prison sentence of 18 months for filing a false crime report. 

Savarese noted that "Brazil has a long history of not extraditing its own citizens to other nations, and U.S. authorities could take the same stance" in the event the six-time gold medalist is convicted.