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Fraud

Appeals Court Reinstates Convictions in FIFA Bribery Scandal

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A federal appeals court on Tuesday reinstated the convictions of a former Fox executive and a South American sports media and marketing company in the FIFA bribery investigation. Hernan Lopez, the former CEO of Fox International Channels, and his company, Full Play Group SA, were convicted of various counts related to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen had previously granted a motion for an acquittal, citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that meant Lopez's conviction could not be sustained under the honest services fraud statute. The appeals court, however, vacated Chen's decision and ordered her to reinstate the convictions.

Key Takeaways:

  • The U.S. appeals court reinstated the convictions of Hernan Lopez, former CEO of Fox International Channels, and Full Play Group SA, a South American sports media and marketing company.
  • Lopez and Full Play were convicted of one count each of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy related to the Copa Libertadores soccer tournament, as well as two additional counts related to World Cup qualifiers and friendlies.
  • The appeals court cited a U.S. Supreme Court decision that made it clear that Lopez's conviction could be sustained under the honest services fraud statute, despite the Supreme Court's ruling in a separate case.
  • The appeals court noted that the foreign identity of certain organizations and officials did not remove the schemes from the ambit of the statute, especially since the conduct occurred in the United States and affected U.S.-based executives and organizations.
  • The circuit judges also said it was up to the original trial judge, Pamela K. Chen, to decide whether to grant a defense motion questioning whether the government's evidence was sufficient to prove a conspiracy to deceive the South American governing body CONMEBOL.

Statistics:

  • Dozens of people have pleaded guilty or been convicted in the U.S.-led FIFA bribery investigation.
  • $150 million in bribes and payoffs are alleged to have been taken by soccer federation leaders over nearly a quarter-century.

Sources:

  • The Associated Press (AP)
  • [https://apnews.com/hub/soccer](https://apnews.com/hub/soccer)

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