Federal investigators opened a criminal investigation into the doings of former Tour de France champion and disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, according to ABC News.

On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney for Southern California Andre Birotte publicly stated that his office spent nearly two years investigating Armstrong in association to crimes having to do with drug distribution, fraud and conspiracy - but that the case was dropped on Feb. 3, 2012.

However, a high level source told the news station on Tuesday that "Birotte does not speak for the federal government as a whole." The source, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity regarding both his name and stature, added, "Agents are actively investigating Armstrong for obstruction, witness tampering and intimidation."

When he made his comments on Tuesday, Birotte was not aware of the current criminal investigation that is being run by another office, the source noted. Armstrong's attorney has not addressed the claims at time of publication.

Birotte said Armstrong's public admission that he took performance enhancement drugs will not change the prosecutor's decision to not place criminal charges. The government will continue to look at the case, Birotte added, but Armstrong's admission "hasn't changed our view as I stand here today."

Armstrong admitted to Oprah Winfrey in a televised interview that he used banned substances throughout his cycling career. The athlete and Manti Te'o came in at No. 1 on the list of The 10 Most Disliked Athletes in America, part of a Forbes survey revealed on Tuesday. Conducted by Nielsen/E-Poll, the poll showed that the two athletes appealed to only 15 percent of the public.

Tiger Woods was third (19 percent appeal rating) in the poll, followed by Jay Cutler (21 percent ) and Metta World Peace (21 percent). Michael Vick (23 percent), last year's most disliked athlete, was No. 7, right behind Alex Rodriguez (22 percent). Tony Romo and Kobe Bryant also made the list.