Washington, Jan. 15 : The US Department of Justice could join a lawsuit seeking to reclaim sponsorship money given to disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong's teammate-turned-whistleblower Floyd Landis filed the lawsuit in 2010, and the Justice Department has been examining the case since then, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The department will join the lawsuit on Thursday, which claims Armstrong defrauded the federal government by accepting sponsorship money from the United States Postal Service, Politico reports.

The team's contract with the Postal Service forbade riders from using performance-enhancing drugs.

According to the report, the Postal Service gave 30.6 million dollars to Armstrong's cycling team from 2001 to 2004.

Under federal law, Armstrong could be liable for treble damages, which could almost reach 100 million dollars.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Landis filed on behalf of the government, and as a whistleblower, he could obtain 30 percent of what the government will reclaim.

Armstrong admitted using performance-enhancing drugs in an interview Monday with Oprah Winfrey, which is scheduled to air on Thursday. (ANI)