Ryan Lochte charged with filing false report by Brazilian police

Brazilian police have charged US swimmer Ryan Lochte with making a false report stemming from his fabrication of a robbery to cover an altercation that happened during a night on the town while in Rio de Janeiro during the recent Olympics.

The Associated Press reported that a police statement said Lochte would be informed in the United States so he could decide whether to introduce a defense in Brazil.

The indictment will also be sent to the International Olympic Committee's ethics commission.

Lochte told police and media he and teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen had been robbed at gunpoint by men who pulled over their taxi during a night out in Rio.

But he later backtracked on his story when police started to poke holes in his story, instead suggesting he made up the story.

Instead, Lochte is alleged to have vandalised a bathroom at a petrol station, causing a confrontation with armed security personel.

Lochte then left Brazil before the police could make any further contact with him to question him about his story.

The once back stateside he admitted that he "overexaggerated" the story in an interview on television network NBC.

"I'm not making me being intoxicated like an excuse, I'm not doing that at all," Lochte said during the interview.

"It was my fault, and I shouldn't have said it."

He also posted a long apology on Instagram where he said sorry for "not being more careful and candid in how I described the events".

Lochte faces a maximum 18-month sentence if convicted.