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U.S. Attorney
General Loretta Lynch says corruption allegedly spans "at least two
generations of soccer officials" ©Chip Somodevilla (Getty/AFP)
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Excerpts from U.S. Department of Justice statement on
FIFA corruption probe:
Nine FIFA Officials and
Five Corporate Executives Indicted for Racketeering Conspiracy and Corruption
AP report continues:
The Defendants Include
Two Current FIFA Vice Presidents and the Current and Former Presidents of the
Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football
(CONCACAF); Seven Defendants Arrested Overseas; Guilty Pleas for Four
Individual Defendants and Two Corporate Defendants Also Unsealed
A 47-count indictment was
unsealed early this morning in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, charging 14
defendants with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies,
among other offenses, in connection with the defendants' participation in a
24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international
soccer. The guilty pleas of four individual defendants and two corporate
defendants were also unsealed today.
The defendants charged in
the indictment include high-ranking officials of the Federation Internationale
de Football Association (FIFA), the organization responsible for the regulation
and promotion of soccer worldwide, as well as leading officials of other soccer
governing bodies that operate under the FIFA umbrella. Jeffrey Webb and Jack
Warner - the current and former presidents of CONCACAF, the continental
confederation under FIFA headquartered in the United States - are among the
soccer officials charged with racketeering and bribery offenses. The defendants
also include U.S. and South American sports marketing executives who are
alleged to have systematically paid and agreed to pay well over US$150 million in
bribes and kickbacks to obtain lucrative media and marketing rights to
international soccer tournaments.
The charges were
announced by Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly T.
Currie of the Eastern District of New York, Director James B. Comey of the FBI,
Assistant Director in Charge Diego W. Rodriguez of the FBI's New York Field
Office, Chief Richard Weber of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal
Investigation (IRS-CI) and Special Agent in Charge Erick Martinez of the
IRS-CI's Los Angeles Field Office.
Also earlier this
morning, Swiss authorities in Zurich arrested seven of the defendants charged
in the indictment, Jeffrey Webb, Eduardo Li, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas,
Eugenio Figueredo, Rafael Esquivel and Jose Maria Marin, at the request of the
United States. Also this morning, a search warrant is being executed at
CONCACAF headquarters in Miami, Florida.
The guilty pleas of the
four individual and two corporate defendants that were also unsealed today
include the guilty pleas of Charles Blazer, the long-serving former general
secretary of CONCACAF and former U.S. representative on the FIFA executive
committee; Jose Hawilla, the owner and founder of the Traffic Group, a
multinational sports marketing conglomerate headquartered in Brazil; and two of
Hawilla's companies, Traffic Sports International Inc. and Traffic Sports USA
Inc., which is based in Florida.
"The indictment
alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and
here in the United States," said Attorney General Lynch. "It spans at
least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their
positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks. And
it has profoundly harmed a multitude of victims, from the youth leagues and
developing countries that should benefit from the revenue generated by the
commercial rights these organizations hold, to the fans at home and throughout
the world whose support for the game makes those rights valuable. Today's
action makes clear that this Department of Justice intends to end any such
corrupt practices, to root out misconduct, and to bring wrongdoers to justice -
and we look forward to continuing to work with other countries in this
effort."
"Today's
announcement should send a message that enough is enough," said Acting
U.S. Attorney Currie. "After decades of what the indictment alleges to be
brazen corruption, organized international soccer needs a new start - a new
chance for its governing institutions to provide honest oversight and support
of a sport that is beloved across the world, increasingly so here in the United
States. Let me be clear: this indictment is not the final chapter in our
investigation."
"As charged in the
indictment, the defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that
created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world," said
Director Comey. "Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks, and bribes
became a way of doing business at FIFA. I want to commend the investigators and
prosecutors around the world who have pursued this case so diligently, for so
many years."
___
Nine of the defendants
were FIFA officials by operation of the FIFA statutes, as well as officials of
one or more other bodies:
Jeffrey Webb: Current
FIFA vice president and executive committee member, CONCACAF president,
Caribbean Football Union (CFU) executive committee member and Cayman Islands
Football Association (CIFA) president.
Eduardo Li: Current FIFA
executive committee member-elect, CONCACAF executive committee member and Costa
Rican soccer federation (FEDEFUT) president.
Julio Rocha: Current FIFA
development officer. Former Central American Football Union (UNCAF) president
and Nicaraguan soccer federation (FENIFUT) president.
Costas Takkas: Current
attaché to the CONCACAF president. Former CIFA general secretary.
Jack Warner: Former FIFA
vice president and executive committee member, CONCACAF president, CFU
president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) special adviser.
Eugenio Figueredo:
Current FIFA vice president and executive committee member. Former CONMEBOL
president and Uruguayan soccer federation (AUF) president.
Rafael Esquivel: Current
CONMEBOL executive committee member and Venezuelan soccer federation (FVF)
president.
Jose Maria Marin: Current
member of the FIFA organizing committee for the Olympic football tournaments.
Former CBF president.
Nicolas Leoz: Former FIFA
executive committee member and CONMEBOL president.
Four of the defendants
were sports marketing executives:
Alejandro Burzaco: Controlling
principal of Torneos y Competencias S.A., a sports marketing business based in
Argentina, and its affiliates.
Aaron Davidson: President
of Traffic Sports USA Inc. (Traffic USA).
Hugo and Mariano Jinkis:
Controlling principals of Full Play Group S.A., a sports marketing business
based in Argentina, and its affiliates.
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