U.S. Department of Justice vs. FIFA: Zurich in Flames, Indictments For All

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > U.S. Department of Justice vs. FIFA: Zurich in Flames, Indictments For All

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Vincent Van Goatse: Nov 8, 2006; Enjoy every sandwich.; Smellrose

After years of trying, it looks like America is finally very interested in soccer. Or at least the multi-million dollar bribes that FIFA arranged on U.S. soil using U.S. banks. Oops.

The Wall Street Journal posted:

U.S. Prepares Criminal Indictment Alleging Corruption at Soccer Body FIFA
By Aruna Viswanatha And Christopher M. Matthews

U.S. authorities are preparing to unveil a criminal indictment against officials of soccer�s international governing body that will detail allegations of widespread corruption, according to people familiar with the matter.

The indictment against officials of the International Federation of Association Football, known as FIFA, was expected to be unsealed in Brooklyn federal court against multiple individuals as early as Wednesday, the people said.

Early Wednesday morning six soccer officials were arrested in Zurich, Switzerland, the country�s Federal Office of Justice said in a statement, adding that they had been detained pending extradition. The FOJ said the arrest warrants were issued after a request by U.S. authorities, which suspect them of having received bribes totaling millions of dollars.

Swiss authorities entered the Baur au Lac Hotel in Zurich, where senior FIFA officials are staying ahead of the governing body�s annual meeting. Shortly afterward at least one individual was escorted out of a side entrance of the hotel.

Several miles across town, authorities were gearing up to raid FIFA�s offices, according to a person familiar with the matter.

As many as 12 officials were expected to be arrested, the person said.

A FIFA spokesman couldn�t immediately be reached for comment.

Prosecutors expect to announce the case at a news conference at the Brooklyn U.S. attorney�s office, which is leading the investigation. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey and Internal Revenue Service criminal chief Richard Weber are expected to appear in Brooklyn to announce the case, the people said.

The indictment is likely to roil the governing body of the world�s most popular sport, which has been dogged by allegations of corruption and bribery for years.

The development comes less than 72 hours before the organization�s annual congress in Zurich where FIFA is expected to elect Joseph �Sepp� Blatter to a fifth consecutive term as president. Mr. Blatter, a 79-year-old former watch company executive, has presided over FIFA, the nonprofit custodian and organizer of the World Cup, since 1998.

Mr. Blatter has overseen the World Cup�s growth into a quadrennial cash cow for Switzerland-based FIFA through the shrewd sale of television and marketing rights. As of 2014, its cash reserves stood at $1.52 billion. During the 2011-14 cycle, it generated $5.72 billion of revenue, according to FIFA�s most recently published financial results, the most in its history.

The organization has faced controversy in recent years. There have been allegations of bribery surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a high-profile lawsuit by MasterCard in New York federal court and the ousting of at least eight members of FIFA�s executive committee, along with public-relations faux pas on topics from fan racism to women�s soccer uniforms.

Brooklyn prosecutors and agents in the FBI�s New York field office have been investigating FIFA for years, according to the people familiar with the matter. Investigators reached a turning point in their probe in 2011 when an American member of the FIFA Executive Committee, Charles �Chuck� Blazer, began cooperating with them, one of the people said. Mr. Blazer, a Queens, N.Y., native, began providing FBI agents with information about alleged fraud and money laundering within FIFA�s ranks, according to the person.

Mr. Blazer, who from 1990 to 2011 was the general secretary of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, or Concacaf, agreed to record conversations with other FIFA executives after authorities threatened to bring tax evasion charges against him, the person said.

Mr. Blazer is gravely ill and couldn't be reached for comment.

In December 2010, FIFA�s executive committee voted to award the hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively. That decision is still controversial nearly five years later. At least eight of the members of that executive committee have since resigned or been removed from it.

Suspicions of vote-buying around the process grew so loud that FIFA appointed an independent investigator, former federal prosecutor Michael J. Garcia, to look into it. FIFA hasn't published Mr. Garcia�s report, which was completed last fall.

While it found some wrongdoing on the part of the Qatari and Russian bid committees, FIFA�s ethics judge concluded it wasn't enough to question the entire process.

Mr. Garcia subsequently resigned from his role as investigator in December to protest the organization�s handling of his report.

Ahead of the controversial vote for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup, Mr. Blazer, who is 70, publicly expressed support for Russia�s bid to host. In the run-up to the 2011 election for FIFA president he revealed that Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar had offered leaders of football associations in the Caribbean thousands of dollars in brown envelopes, supposedly for soccer development projects when he met with them to seek support for the election. Mr. bin Hammam resigned his position as head of the Asia Football Confederation and was later barred from FIFA. He denied wrongdoing throughout FIFA�s investigations of him.

An investigation into Concacaf�s business dealings ordered by Concacaf itself and released in 2012 concluded that Mr. Blazer failed to file income tax statements and pay taxes on behalf of the organization and its marketing unit between 2004-10. In addition, the report revealed that Mr. Blazer defrauded the organization by filing false financial statements on the organization�s behalf and misappropriating funds.

The report, overseen by the law firm Sidley & Austin, stated that Mr. Blazer had the organization pay him more than $15 million in the form of commissions, fees, and rent expenses without obtaining proper authorization. It also said Mr. Blazer used Concacaf funds to finance his personal lifestyle including paying his rent on his residence in the Trump Tower in New York, purchasing apartments at the Mondrian, a luxury hotel and residence in Miami. He was suspended from FIFA, and resigned from the board in 2013. Mr. Blazer has said little publicly about FIFA matters since the controversy surrounding the 2011 FIFA election.

Don't know if this is D&Dworthy or not, but I guess y'all can talk about how loving hilariously corrupt and awful FIFA is, what with their eyes wide open involvement with literal slave labor in Qatar and elsewhere.

# ? May 27, 2015 08:02

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# ? Apr 24, 2024 11:35

Vincent Van Goatse: Nov 8, 2006; Enjoy every sandwich.; Smellrose

And here's the official Swiss Bureau of Justice statement:

quote:

By order of the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ), six soccer officials were arrested in Zurich today (Wednesday) and detained pending extradition. The US authorities suspect them of having received bribes totaling in the USD millions.

The six soccer functionaries were arrested today in Zurich by the Zurich Cantonal Police . The FOJ�s arrest warrants were issued further to a request by the US authorities. The US Attorney�s Office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating these individuals on suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kick-backs between the early 1990s and the present day. The bribery suspects � representatives of sports media and sports promotion firms � are alleged to have been involved in schemes to make payments to the soccer functionaries � delegates of FIFA (F�d�ration Internationale de Football Association) and other functionaries of FIFA sub-organizations � totaling more than USD 100 million. In return, it is believed that they received media, marketing, and sponsorship rights in connection with soccer tournaments in Latin America. According to the US request, these crimes were agreed and prepared in the US, and payments were carried out via US banks.

Eight figure fraud on U.S. soil and it's doubtful any U.S. official saw a penny of it. Looks like FIFA tried to call the tune without paying the piper.

# ? May 27, 2015 08:07

i say swears online: Mar 4, 2005

Best thing America has done for Europe since the Marshall Plan.

# ? May 27, 2015 08:25

exmarx: Feb 18, 2012; The experience over the years
of nothing getting better
only worse.

# ? May 27, 2015 09:10

This Jacket Is Me: Jan 29, 2009

If I were the American Minister of Justice I would indict all soccer players for being wincing dramatic homos. The worst parts of hockey (low score, trash tiebreaker mechanism), basketball (foul baiting, ref nagging) and the Raiders (fans) rolled into a single 4 hour daydrinking event. FIFA will roll around yelping until it's obvious no one is paying attention, then appeal to some authority who will tell them to gently caress off, and then sulk back into business as usual.

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

# ? May 27, 2015 09:21

awesome-express: Dec 30, 2008

Aliquid posted:

Best thing America has done for Europe since the Marshall Plan.

does it again

# ? May 27, 2015 09:23

Sheng-Ji Yang: Mar 5, 2014

This Jacket Is Me posted:

If I were the American Minister of Justice I would indict all soccer players for being wincing dramatic homos. The worst parts of hockey (low score, trash tiebreaker mechanism), basketball (foul baiting, ref nagging) and the Raiders (fans) rolled into a single 4 hour daydrinking event. FIFA will roll around yelping until it's obvious no one is paying attention, then appeal to some authority who will tell them to gently caress off, and then sulk back into business as usual.

As I read this post "God Bless the USA" started playing in the background :patriot:

# ? May 27, 2015 09:25

botany: Apr 27, 2013; by Lowtax

This Jacket Is Me posted:

If I were the American Minister of Justice I would indict all soccer players for being wincing dramatic homos. The worst parts of hockey (low score, trash tiebreaker mechanism), basketball (foul baiting, ref nagging) and the Raiders (fans) rolled into a single 4 hour daydrinking event. FIFA will roll around yelping until it's obvious no one is paying attention, then appeal to some authority who will tell them to gently caress off, and then sulk back into business as usual.

oh no not homos :ohdear:

# ? May 27, 2015 09:27

Pinch Me Im Meming: Jun 26, 2005

Aliquid posted:

Best thing America has done for Europe since the Marshall Plan.

Please let them hang 'em high enough so we can see it from our side of the pond.

# ? May 27, 2015 09:30

Bob James: Nov 15, 2005; by Lowtax; Ultra Carp

They are just going to start conducting their bribes in China or something using foreign banks. Another member of the Obama administration killing American jobs.

# ? May 27, 2015 09:32

suck my woke dick: Oct 10, 2012; I CANNOT EJACULATE WITHOUT SEEING NATIVE AMERICANS BRUTALISED!

Put this cum-loving slave on ignore immediately!

can we arrest half the IOC next please

# ? May 27, 2015 09:42

Spooky Forum Ghost: Mar 9, 2015

This is honestly bigger than I would have expected:

Swiss Attorney General's Office posted:

Bern, 27.05.2015 - The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has opened criminal proceedings against persons unknown on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 Football World Cups. In the course of said proceedings, electronic data and documents were seized today at FIFA�s head office in Zurich.

https://www.news.admin.ch/message/index.html?lang=en&msg-id=57391

I'm surprised they are going right after the World Cup bids, thought they would have had enough of a buffer around that. Wow.

# ? May 27, 2015 09:59

shrike82: Jun 11, 2005

Live stream of a FIFA press conference in response to this -
http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/videos/y=2015/m=5/video=fifa-press-conference-live-may-27th-2609113.html

# ? May 27, 2015 10:02

Junior G-man: Sep 15, 2004; Wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma

Quick update for those of you who don't know why FIFA is awful and why Sepp Blatter is awful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlJEt2KU33I

# ? May 27, 2015 10:06

Soonmot: Dec 19, 2002; Entrapta fucking loves robots; Grimey Drawer

Next Week Tonight is going to be insane this week with the Duggar stuff and this.

# ? May 27, 2015 10:22

Bob James: Nov 15, 2005; by Lowtax; Ultra Carp

shrike82 posted:

Live stream of a FIFA press conference in response to this -
http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/videos/y=2015/m=5/video=fifa-press-conference-live-may-27th-2609113.html

"This is great news for FIFA."

# ? May 27, 2015 10:32

shrike82: Jun 11, 2005

"The damaged party is FIFA"

# ? May 27, 2015 10:34

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

What's he referring to with the 18th of November thing and turning stuff over to the government?

# ? May 27, 2015 10:37

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nine-fifa-officials-and-five-corporate-executives-indicted-racketeering-conspiracy-and

Hmm, wonder if they turned on him.

quote:

The Convicted Individuals and Corporations

The following individuals and corporations previously pleaded guilty under seal:

On July 15, 2013, the defendant Daryll Warner, son of defendant Jack Warner and a former FIFA development officer, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging him with wire fraud and the structuring of financial transactions.

On Oct. 25, 2013, the defendant Daryan Warner waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a three-count information charging him with wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and the structuring of financial transactions. Daryan Warner forfeited over $1.1 million around the time of his plea and has agreed to pay a second forfeiture money judgment at the time of sentencing.

# ? May 27, 2015 10:43

V. Illych L.: Apr 11, 2008; ASK ME ABOUT LUMBER

I sort of want to put money on Sepp Blatter somehow surviving this, too

the man is the cockroach of football

# ? May 27, 2015 11:06

Junior G-man: Sep 15, 2004; Wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma

Oh my, it looks like a RICO lawsuit. :fap:

quote:

The US Department of Justice statement names nine Fifa officials and five �corporate executives� who have been indicted for �racketeering conspiracy and corruption�. The statement lists the individuals as:

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 attach� 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.

Jos� Maria Marin: Current member of the Fifa organising committee for the Olympic football tournaments. Former CBF president.

Nicol�s 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 SA, 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 SA, a sports marketing business based in Argentina, and its affiliates.

I know it's a US-based suit and that's the zone and all, but lmao at all those Concafaf dudes on the list.

# ? May 27, 2015 11:15

Pissflaps: Oct 20, 2002; by VideoGames

What's a 'RICO' lawsuit?

# ? May 27, 2015 11:18

OniPanda: May 13, 2004; OH GOD BEAR

Bob James posted:

They are just going to start conducting their bribes in China or something using foreign banks. Another member of the Obama administration killing American jobs.

No that's the problem, America didn't get the World Cup and Americans didn't get any bribes. That's where they hosed up!

# ? May 27, 2015 11:20

Guavanaut: Nov 27, 2009; Looking At Them Tittys
1969 - 1998; Toilet Rascal

Pissflaps posted:

What's a 'RICO' lawsuit?

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations. It gives more leeway to pierce the corporate veil, prosecuting individuals as well as company assets.

# ? May 27, 2015 11:20

Junior G-man: Sep 15, 2004; Wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma

Pissflaps posted:

What's a 'RICO' lawsuit?

A Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO Act) suit.

Fine points be here, but the most salient bit is:

quote:

The RICO Act focuses specifically on racketeering, and it allows the leaders of a syndicate to be tried for the crimes which they ordered others to do or assisted them, closing a perceived loophole that allowed someone who told a man to, for example, murder, to be exempt from the trial because he did not actually commit the crime personally.[1]

It's a tool mainly used in mafia and organized crime cases, because the 'bosses' very rarely order anything done face-to-face but use cut-outs. RICO is a pretty strong tool and FIFA should be pretty scared, especially if they've got a high informant.

# ? May 27, 2015 11:21

awesome-express: Dec 30, 2008

Pissflaps posted:

What's a 'RICO' lawsuit?

Watch the Better Call Saul episode when they take a case to RICO. Basically it means poo poo hit the fan as hard as it possibly can.

Or read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act

edit: efb

awesome-express fucked around with this message at 11:25 on May 27, 2015

# ? May 27, 2015 11:23

Bob James: Nov 15, 2005; by Lowtax; Ultra Carp

Pissflaps posted:

What's a 'RICO' lawsuit?

It means the Scales of Justice are going to be rammed up your rear end.

# ? May 27, 2015 11:32

MC Nietzche: Oct 26, 2004; by exmarx

So America finally found a way to destroy soccer once and for all?

# ? May 27, 2015 11:34

Pinch Me Im Meming: Jun 26, 2005

MC Nietzche posted:

So America finally found a way to destroy soccer once and for all?

if they do this it's going to become more powerful that they can possibly imagine.

# ? May 27, 2015 11:36

PT6A: Jan 5, 2006; Public school teachers are callous dictators who won't lift a finger to stop children from peeing in my plane

Bob James posted:

It means the Scales of Justice are going to be rammed up your rear end.

I was trying to find the best way to put this, but this is just gorgeous. It's for when the US Federal Government decides not only does it want to gently caress you in the rear end, it wants to permanently break your watertight seal.

# ? May 27, 2015 11:37

Bob James: Nov 15, 2005; by Lowtax; Ultra Carp

MC Nietzche posted:

So America finally found a way to destroy soccer once and for all?

We're saving soccer. :patriot:

# ? May 27, 2015 11:45

MechaStalin: Jun 13, 2013

The sick thing about this is that if FIFA were an American organization they would be politically protected and considered 'TBTF'.

# ? May 27, 2015 12:00

Junior G-man: Sep 15, 2004; Wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma

Ahahaha, results of Transparency International and Football Addicts (some kind of football app) opinion poll of 35.000 football fans:

Following FIFA World Cup corruption scandals, should Sepp Blatter be standing again for President of FIFA?

Do you have confidence in FIFA?

# ? May 27, 2015 12:00

Comstar: Apr 20, 2007; Are you happy now?

Junior G-man posted:

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.

Isn't that the guy was going to be elected President of FIFA next Friday? Any news yet if he'll step down beforehand or not?

# ? May 27, 2015 12:02

Miltank: Dec 27, 2009; by XyloJW

As far as I understand it, ill-gotten money shared in a pot puts everyone with access to it open to prosecution.

E: beat by a mile.

Miltank fucked around with this message at 12:19 on May 27, 2015

# ? May 27, 2015 12:16

Dr. Tough: Oct 22, 2007

Please tell me that Qatar and Russia will have the World Cup taken away. That would be so loving funny.

# ? May 27, 2015 12:33

Junior G-man: Sep 15, 2004; Wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma

Dr. Tough posted:

Please tell me that Qatar and Russia will have the World Cup taken away. That would be so loving funny.

The FIFA stooge at their press event said that the Qatar and Russia Cups are still on.

But he also said that FIFA was grateful for the FBI's 'intervention' today, as it forms a part of FIFA's larger 'goal to eradicate corruption'. So uhhh :psyduck:

However:

quote:

In a separate move, Swiss authorities opened criminal proceedings over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. A statement from the Swiss attorney general said they seized electronic data from Fifa�s headquarters in Zurich and opened criminal proceedings against individuals on �the suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 football World Cups�.

# ? May 27, 2015 12:48

Gyges: Aug 4, 2004; NOW NO ONE
RECOGNIZE HULK

OniPanda posted:

No that's the problem, America didn't get the World Cup and Americans didn't get any bribes. That's where they hosed up!

Offering the US the World Cup as part of your bribe is like offering a Vegan a nice juicy steak to sweeten the deal.

Dr. Tough posted:

Please tell me that Qatar and Russia will have the World Cup taken away. That would be so loving funny.

So you're saying Obama's playing some 12 Dimensional chess over both the Ukraine and the Middle East.

# ? May 27, 2015 12:55

PupsOfWar: Dec 6, 2013

But can we use this as causus belli versus Europe?

# ? May 27, 2015 12:56

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# ? Apr 24, 2024 11:35

ZenVulgarity: Oct 9, 2012; I made the hat by transforming my zen

Junior G-man posted:

Oh my, it looks like a RICO lawsuit.

I know it's a US-based suit and that's the zone and all, but lmao at all those Concafaf dudes on the list.

# ? May 27, 2015 12:59

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > U.S. Department of Justice vs. FIFA: Zurich in Flames, Indictments For All

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