Two soccer bribery convictions reinstated by US appeals court
FILE PHOTO: Hernan Lopez, former executive of 21st Century Fox and Full Play Group, arrives at Federal Court in Brooklyn New York City, U.S., March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
NEW YORK - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reinstated the convictions of a former Fox executive and an Argentine sports marketing company for trying to bribe soccer officials in exchange for lucrative broadcasting contracts.
In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a Brooklyn judge erred in throwing out the March 2023 jury verdicts against Hernan Lopez and Full Play Group because she misinterpreted a federal wire fraud law.
Lopez plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, his lawyer John Gleeson said in an email, adding that "we are obviously disappointed." Full Play's lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The defendants are among more than 40 to face criminal charges in a sweeping U.S. Department of Justice probe unveiled in 2015 into soccer corruption, including at the sport's world governing body FIFA.
At least 31 defendants pleaded guilty, and two other soccer officials were convicted by a jury in 2017.
Prosecutors said Lopez, a former chief executive of Fox International Channels, schemed to bribe officials at South American soccer federation CONMEBOL to win rights for that continent's most popular club tournament, Copa Libertadores.
Full Play was accused of scheming to bribe officials at CONMEBOL and the North American federation CONCACAF to win rights to Copa Libertadores and World Cup qualifying matches.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Singapore and Cambodia to expand collaboration in renewable energy, carbon markets and agri-trade
World Trump announces Vietnam trade deal with 20% import tariff
Singapore From camping to mentorship, Singapore Scouts mark 115th anniversary of the youth movement
Singapore Ong Beng Seng's court hearing rescheduled one day before he was expected to plead guilty
World Sean 'Diddy' Combs convicted on prostitution counts but cleared of more serious charges
Singapore Teen, 17, to be charged with allegedly trespassing on MRT tracks
Singapore Granddaughter of Hin Leong founder O.K. Lim fails to keep 3 insurance policies from creditors' reach
Singapore Man on trial for raping drunken woman after offering to drive her and her friend home
FRAUD LAW 'PRESUMPTIVELY' COVERED BRIBERY
In September 2023, U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen said Lopez's and Full Play's convictions could not stand because a federal law addressing honest services wire fraud did not reach alleged foreign commercial bribery.
Chen also voided the defendants' money laundering convictions, because they were based on the fraud convictions.
But in Wednesday's decision, Circuit Judge John Walker said the wire fraud law applied to the defendants' role in causing bribed soccer officials to breach duties they owed their foreign employers.
"The nature of defendants conduct (bribery), coupled with the character of the relationship between the bribed officials and the organizations to whom they owed a duty of loyalty (employer-employee relationships), place the schemes presumptively within the scope of (the law)," Walker wrote.
Walker added that the bribery wasn't entirely foreign in nature, saying Lopez and Fox were based in the United States, and bribery victims had significant U.S. ties.
The appeals court returned the case to Chen, including to address for the first time whether prosecutors proved a conspiracy to deceive CONMEBOL.
Gleeson said Lopez's Supreme Court appeal will focus on the honest services wire fraud law, and defense lawyers "have no doubt that our client will eventually be fully vindicated." REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
34 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Portuguese former prime minister Socrates goes on trial in graft case
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Portugal's former Prime Minister Jose Socrates holds his protective mask as he leaves the court in Lisbon, Portugal, April 9, 2021. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo LISBON - Portuguese former Prime Minister Jose Socrates appeared before a court on Thursday on the first day of a long-delayed trial in which he faces charges of corruption that were reinstated after a judge had lifted them four years ago. Socrates, 67, who denies wrongdoing, and his lawyer wanted the trial suspended and the presiding judge replaced, but the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon rejected their demands. "Four years later, the state forces me to come to court again to respond to exactly the same charges," Socrates told reporters before entering the building, accusing the court of using the pretext of a clerical error to reinstate the charges and of manipulating the statute of limitations. "The investigating judge, four years ago, considered that none of the charges were substantiated, not a single one. And he also considered them to be completely time-barred." In 2021, Judge Ivo Rosa of Portugal's criminal court for preliminary hearings dismissed the corruption and tax fraud accusations against Socrates as weak, inconsistent or lacking sufficient evidence, and noted that the statute of limitations had run out on some of them. Socrates was still facing lesser charges of money laundering worth some 1.7 million euros and falsifying documents. A Socialist who served as prime minister in 2005-2011, Socrates was arrested at Lisbon's airport in November 2014 as part of Portugal's biggest-ever corruption investigation, codenamed Operation Marquis. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 193ha of land off Changi to be reclaimed for aviation park; area reduced to save seagrass meadow Business More Singapore residents met CPF Required Retirement Sum when they turned 55 in 2024 Singapore PAP questions Pritam's interview with Malaysian podcast, WP says PAP opposing for the sake of opposing Singapore 1 in 4 appeals to waive HDB wait-out period for private home owners approved since Sept 2022 World Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota dies in car crash in Spain Singapore Healthcare facility planned for site of Ang Mo Kio Public Library after it moves to AMK Hub Singapore $500 in Child LifeSG credits, Edusave, Post-Sec Education Account top-ups to be disbursed in July Business 60 S'pore firms to get AI boost from Tata Consultancy as it launches new innovation centre here It was the first time an ex-premier had been arrested in the country. He spent months in jail before being placed under house arrest. In a country notorious for its slow justice system, it took prosecutors three years following the arrest to formally charge Socrates with 31 offences allegedly committed in the 2006-2015 period. The statute of limitations on some of the offences has expired and in the new trial, Socrates is being tried for 22 offences, including passive corruption while in office, money laundering worth 34 million euros through the bank accounts of others abroad, and tax fraud. The alleged scheme involved the disgraced former heads of Banco Espirito Santo and Portugal Telecom, who have also denied wrongdoing. Socrates stepped down as prime minister in March 2011, halfway through his second term, after a debt crisis forced him to request an international bailout, leading to years of painful austerity. REUTERS
Straits Times
36 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Russia focusing airstrikes on Ukraine draft offices to derail recruitment, Kyiv says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox KYIV - Russia killed two people in an airstrike on the central Ukrainian city of Poltava on Thursday and damaged a military draft office there in what Kyiv said was a concerted campaign to disrupt recruitment for its war effort. The strike on Poltava, which also injured 47 people and caused a fire at the city's main draft office, followed a drone attack on Monday near a recruitment centre in Kryvyi Rih. Both cities are regional capitals. "We understand that their (Russian) goal is to disrupt the mobilisation process," Vitaliy Sarantsev, a spokesperson for Ukraine's ground forces, told Ukraine's public broadcaster. "But I want to say is too early (for Russia) to uncork the champagne because the process is impossible to stop." Ukraine has struggled to fend off a bigger and better-equipped Russian army, and its call-up process has been marred by reports of draft-office corruption, poor training and weak battlefield command. Well into the fourth year of its full-scale invasion, Russia has gained ground in eastern Ukraine and repeatedly hit cities far behind the front lines with drones and missiles, while also waging a sabotage campaign there, Kyiv's domestic security agency says. In a statement to Reuters last month, the Security Service of Ukraine said it had arrested more than 700 people since 2024 for alleged crimes that included arson attacks on troop vehicles and bombings at draft offices. A Ukrainian security official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Russia was aiming to derail Kyiv's military call-up effort also by spreading disinformation and hacking recruitment office computers. "The disruption of mobilisation is closely linked to the spread of panic and intimidation of the population," the source said, adding that bombings were part of the general strategy. INTENSIFYING STRIKES Russian forces have also stepped up strikes on military training grounds in recent weeks, prompting Kyiv's top general to order a strengthening of security measures at bases. A missile attack on southeastern Ukraine this week killed a brigade commander. Ukrainian forces have also staged longer-range attacks on Russian bases in occupied territory as well as deep inside Russia. Thursday's strike on Poltava came after the U.S. said it had paused some weapons shipments to Ukraine, which drew warnings in Kyiv that the move would harm Ukraine's defence against intensifying Russian air strikes and battlefield gains. Separately on Thursday, two people were killed in a ballistic missile strike on port infrastructure in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, said regional governor Oleh Kiper. Dozens of people have been killed in recent drone and missile salvoes at Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv. REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
US fans can learn from unbelievable Guatemala supporters, Pochettino says
United States coach Mauricio Pochettino said Wednesday's 2-1 win over Guatemala in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals felt like a game on the road, adding that the spirit of the opposing fans was something American supporters could learn from. Over 22,000 spectators attended the match in St. Louis and the majority were Guatemala supporters, loudly backing their team throughout the game even as Diego Luna's early brace helped the U.S. reach the final, where they face Mexico on Sunday. "The fans of Guatemala, I need to say, wow, unbelievable. It was like, to play there. And that was good for our players because it was an atmosphere we didn't expect," former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager Pochettino told reporters. Argentine Pochettino said he hoped to see the same passion from American fans when the World Cup takes place in the U.S. next year. "An unbelievable energy. That is football, that is football. When we say, the connection between the team and the fans, that's the connection we'd like to see at the World Cup. The connection that makes you fly," he said. "When we talk about culture, that is culture ... to see (Guatemala), how they fight, how the fans behave, that is an important thing that we need to learn in this country." Pochettino said that in many countries, soccer matches were seen as much more than sporting spectacles. "In a different country, you play (to) survive. You play for food. You play for pride ... it's not to enjoy, go home and laugh, that's it," he said. "The moment that we, this roster, start to live in this way, I think we have big room to improve." REUTERS
