Oldman said:
The investigation will likely have it's opportunities to split up this happy little group. Any attempts to represent a unified front could get them in deeper so I'd look to the guys most likely to save themselves: Och and Carmichael.
Both were operating with Armstrong pre-Postal. Ochowicz had expressed doubts about Armstrong's "training" several times among the Motorola team which would indicate he (Och) was not part of any organized program. Carmichael was Armstrong's direct advisor then. How that tied into the Postal program or any other organized PED distribution that could be within the SoL is the unknown. Either way those two are farther outside the inner circle and most easily pressured by a prosecutor.
It is clear they are starting by splitting from the top. Trek and Tailwind.
Trek probably has the choice to cooperate or be charged. Gotta guess they will cooperate.
Tailwind is where I think the divisiveness will really play out, as I think the riders will all get immunity for their cooperation.
The owners and management of Tailwind will be pitted against themselves, to see who values their freedom over their ties with each other. Comparing it to the Bonds case, Anderson was a singular witness providing to Bonds a plausible deniability as to what he was rubbing on his arm.
Armstrong does not enjoy that as the structure of the scheme is so vast, and his participation, so deep, that he can't take the position of "I had no idea what this red stuff was that I was getting via IV before each rest day, I thought it was flax seed oil". That won't fly.
Armstrong has benefited, directed, chose the team riders, made management decisions, made coaching/preparation decisions, and was fully involved at the highest level within the organization. A far cry from the "I just worked there" claim of a few days ago.
Now, proving all of this is the key. Getting the mgmt team from Tailwind to buckle will be central to the case, IMHO.