Federal investigators are in the midst of an active criminal investigation of disgraced former Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, ABC News has learned.

The revelation comes in stark contrast to statements made by the U.S. Attorney for Southern California, Andre Birotte, who addressed his own criminal inquiry of Armstrong for the first time publicly on Tuesday. Birotte’s office spent nearly two years investigating Armstrong for crimes reportedly including drug distribution, fraud and conspiracy — only to suddenly drop the case on the Friday before the Super Bowl last year.

Armstrong has yet to comment on the reports but, given his recent admissions on Oprah, we’d imagine he would have a hard time defending himself in court should the government decide to prosecute. Do you think Lance Armstrong should face criminal penalties for covering-up his usage of performance enhancing substances?