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Former President of Nicaraguan Soccer Federation Pleads Guilty in FIFA Investigation
On December 7, a former president of a Nicaraguan soccer federation, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges. The guilty plea came in response to allegations that the former president accepted approximately $150,000 in bribes for helping an American company acquire media rights to FIFA events. As part of the plea, the former president agreed to forfeit almost $300,000 and could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years for each count. Last month, the former president of the American company also pleaded guilty to racketeering and wire fraud conspiracy charges alleging that the former president arranged bribe payments totaling more than $14 million dollars in exchange for media and marketing rights to international soccer tournaments and matches.
The former president was indicted by the DOJ in May 2015 along with 13 other FIFA officials. The former president was the final official to be extradited to the United States. The sprawling investigation has resulted in multiple other guilty pleas from former FIFA officials. Prior Scorecard coverage on the FIFA investigations can be found here.