Armstrong, who in January admitted using performance-enhancing drugs after years of denials, has argued that the Postal Service's endorsement of his team earned the government agency far more than it paid him. The Postal Service paid about $40 million to be the title sponsor of Armstrong's teams for six of his seven Tour de France victories. He became a professional triathlete at age 16 and joined the U.S. National Cycling Team two years later. Hide Caption 12 of 28 
 
 Photos: Photos: Lance Armstrong's rise and fall Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – After his sixth consecutive Tour de France win, Armstrong attends a celebration in his honor in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. Postal Service and was "unjustly enriched" while cheating to win the Tour de France. The government had previously announced it would join a whistle-blower lawsuit brought by former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis under the federal False Claims Act.
– All that money the US Postal Service spent to sponsor Lance Armstrong's cycling team? The Justice Department wants it back, and more. It filed a lawsuit against the cyclist and his company last night, just as its deadline to do so was about to expire. Armstrong's doping was, the lawsuit claims, a breach of contract with the USPS, and by lying about it to the USPS, he defrauded the agency and was "unjustly enriched." From 1998 to 2004, the USPS sponsored the team to the tune of about $40 million—and the government is seeking triple damages under the False Claims Act. CNN reports that could translate into a $100 million payout, should the government be able to prove it was both defrauded and damaged. The government's lawsuit is part of a whistleblower lawsuit brought by former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis, which the government had previously promised to join, the AP reports. The response from Armstrong's lawyer: "The US Postal Service benefited tremendously from its sponsorship of the cycling team. Its own studies repeatedly and conclusively prove this. The USPS was never the victim of fraud. Lance Armstrong rode his heart out for the USPS team, and gave the brand tremendous exposure during the sponsorship years."