Editor’s note: Outside research editor Ryan Krogh (@ryankrogh), who checked Mike Anderson’s article about working with Lance Armstrong, sent a long list of questions to officials at Livestrong as part of his effort to verify information in the story. Krogh heard back promptly from attorney Mark Fabiani, who represents Armstrong. Fabiani forwarded the following fact sheet about Anderson but declined to address additional matters, raised by Krogh, that aren’t addressed there. Armstrong did not respond to a request for an interview.

—Alex Heard (@alexheard), editorial director, Outside

Mr. Anderson Is a Disgruntled Former Employee
Anderson claimed in his lawsuit that Armstrong breached an agreement to provide Anderson the funds to start a bicycle shop. Anderson was an assistant and bicycle mechanic who was making $27,000/year when Armstrong hired him in 2002. Armstrong paid him $36,000/year, provided a car, insurance, and $5,000 bonus. When Anderson was fired he asserted Armstrong owed him $500,000 and asserted many claims against Armstrong, all of which (other than a small portion of a defamation claim) were dismissed on the basis that there was no evidence to support them. He claimed to have made a “discovery” of a box of something he claims were steroids in an apartment owned by Armstrong in Spain. This claim was not made until his lawyer demanded a $500,000 “settlement” of his lawsuit. The threat was disregarded and the “settlement” rejected out of hand. All of Anderson’s claims were fully vetted in the press, on national television and in court. The matter was eventually settled through mediation. However, it is important to note that, as we set forth below, Anderson’s contemporaneous emails and his sworn deposition testimony are entirely inconsistent with his later claims that he observed unlawful activity by Armstrong, that he was bullied and mistreated as an employee, or that he was disillusioned by the discovery of a box allegedly containing performance-enhancing drugs. To the contrary, from start to finish, his contemporaneous emails depict an employee who was honored to work for Armstrong and enthusiastic and grateful about the terms of his employment; his emails likewise completely rebut his later claims of discovering a box allegedly containing performance-enhancing drugs; and, in his deposition testimony, Anderson admits that, despite his close association with Armstrong, he never observed him using PED’s.

Anderson’s Co-Worker Refutes His Allegations
According to the sworn statements of Rebecca Dunlap, Mr. Armstrong’s former nanny who worked closely with Anderson, a personal assistant and bicycle mechanic, virtually everything that Anderson accused Mr. Armstrong of in his singularly unsuccessful lawsuit, in his appearance on ESPN’s Sports Center and a subsequent article written by Suzanne Halliburton “contradicted what he had told me on numerous occasions before he was fired.” Dunlap says that in the fall of 2004, at least seven months after his “discovery,” that “Anderson also told me he would not, and could not, ever work for anyone who had used drugs or performance-enhancing substances. Mr. Anderson also told me unequivocally not once, but several times, once in the presence of his wife, Allison, that he had no doubt that Armstrong had never used drugs or any other illegal performance-enhancing assistance in his career. He told me that Armstrong would not have been capable of drug use because of his character.”

Mr. Anderson Falsely Accuses Lance Armstrong of Avoiding Taking a Drug Test
In July 2004 Mr. Anderson stated that he received a telephone call from Derek Russey, who was frantically trying to locate Lance Armstrong. Anderson said that Russey told him that inspectors from WADA/USADA had come to Lance Armstrong’s house in Dripping Springs to administer a random test. Russey told Anderson that Lance Armstrong was required to notify the inspectors before traveling and that failure to do so would result in an automatic positive drug test.

In his affidavit, Mr. Russey says: “I never frantically called Mr. Anderson, in July 2004, or any other time, trying to locate Mr. Armstrong. I have no idea what the WADA/USADA is and I never encountered anyone at Mr. Armstrong’s property who indicated they were there to administer a drug test. I have no idea whether Mr. Armstrong is supposed to notify anyone before traveling, much less what the consequences would be for not doing so. I literally have no idea to what Mr. Anderson is referring to in paragraph 22 (of Anderson’s complaint filed against Armstrong).” Russey described Anderson under oath as a “mutual friend.”

Mr. Anderson also stated in July 2004 that John Korioth, an acquaintance of Mr. Armstrong’s, was supposed to go retrieve Lance’s Suburban from the airport and drive past the inspectors, who were then waiting at the edge of Lance Armstrong’s property after being told to leave by Derek Russey. This statement was in connection with Mr. Anderson’s conclusion that Mr. Armstrong was trying to avoid taking a random drug test. Korioth says in his affidavit: “I was never involved in any incident bearing any resemblance to the incident Mr. Anderson describes.... I was never requested to pick up Mr. Armstrong’s Suburban at the airport nor was I ever advised that there were WADA/USADA inspectors on or near Mr. Armstrong’s property at any time.... I have never been advised that any inspectors of any kind have ever been to Mr. Armstrong’s home or ranch. Neither Mr. Anderson nor Mr. Russey, with whom I am also acquainted, ever mentioned any such incident involving any inspectors. I was not involved, directly or indirectly, in any incident involving inspectors of any kind related to Mr. Armstrong or his property.” It is also noteworthy that Anderson’s volatile and unstable conduct required his physical expulsion from the deposition of Mr. Korioth. 

Mr. Anderson is known as “Andersatan”
In 2004, Lance Armstrong received emails from Mr. Anderson signed “Andersatan” and “666.”