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U.S. Indicts 16 New Suspects in FIFA Corruption Case
Justice Department unseals 92-count indictment in the widening probe
 ENLARGE
Swiss police have made a new round of arrests of FIFA officials, descending on a luxury hotel in Zurich where officials from the world soccer federation were staying. PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
By ARUNA VISWANATHA, JOSHUA ROBINSON and JOHN REVILL
Updated Dec. 3, 2015 7:25 p.m. ET
22 COMMENTS
U.S. prosecutors widened their sprawling case alleging corruption at the world’s soccer-governing body on Thursday, charging 16 new suspects, including some of the highest-ranking officials in the sport.
Authorities unveiled a 92-count indictment that included charges against senior FIFA officials Alfredo Hawit and Juan Angel Napout, who were arrested in a predawn sweep by police at a Swiss luxury hotel.
When arrests were made in May at the same hotel, prosecutors alleged a wide-ranging scheme that involved two generations of soccer officials in South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean, and more than $200 million in bribes to win media and marketing rights for major tournaments.
The new charges expand on the earlier case with more examples of alleged corruption at Central and South American soccer organizations. The new indictment also cites alleged payments related both to previous tournaments and to matches extending through 2022, including World Cup qualifiers.
The yearslong investigation, which targeted defendants in 20 countries and traced money through 40, triggered the departure this year of longtime FIFA President Sepp Blatter and the suspensions of Secretary-General Jérôme Valcke and the head of European soccer, Michel Platini.
“The betrayal of trust set forth here is outrageous,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on Thursday. She said the investigation is continuing, adding, “As always, we anticipate additional charges.”
From the Archives
Soccer’s world governing body has been caught up in a corruption scandal—top officials were arrested, criminal investigations were launched, and
According to the allegations laid out in a 240-page superseding indictment, bribery was pervasive throughout the organizations and continued even after earlier allegations surfaced.
Mr. Hawit, for example, took over in 2011 as acting head of Concacaf, the confederation governing soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean, after his predecessor resigned amid corruption allegations. But prosecutors said that along with other officials, he accepted $450,000 in bribes to award rights to Concacaf tournaments between June 2011 and May 2012.
Prosecutors said that even after the initial indictment in that case was unsealed in May, Mr. Hawit directed a co-conspirator to create sham contracts to hide bribe payments, and to make false statements about the bribe payments to law enforcement agents.
Mr. Hawit, a 63-year-old former Honduran soccer player, couldn’t be reached to comment.
Rafael Callejas, the former president of Honduras and the former chief of the Honduras Soccer Federation, was also indicted, for allegedly accepting bribes linked to broadcasting rights. He said he was ready to defend himself in court.
Marco Polo del Nero, who until Thursday headed the Brazilian Soccer Confederation, or CBF, was indicted on a charge of allegedly requesting bribe payments, along with other officials, of two million Brazilian reais a year—or around $988,000 in August 2012 when some of the payments were negotiated— for the marketing rights to the Copa do Brasil tournament.
After the initial Swiss raids, Mr. del Nero left Switzerland for Brazil, and he hasn’t made any public appearances since. Last week, he resigned as a member of FIFA’s executive committee, and on Thursday the Brazilian Football Confederation said Mr. del Nero had requested a leave of absence to prepare his defense. The confederation said Mr. del Nero hasn’t been able to see the content of the accusations and that he believes that he will be able to show that he is innocent.
FIFA is based in Zurich. U.S. investigators have jurisdiction because some of the alleged payments moved through American banks, and some of the firms involved in the charges are located there.
The organization didn’t comment directly on the charges. “FIFA became aware of the actions taken today by the U.S. Department of Justice,” a FIFA spokeswoman said. “FIFA will continue to cooperate fully with the U.S. investigation as permitted by Swiss law, as well as with the investigation being led by the Swiss Office of Attorney General.”
Both Concacaf and Conmebol, the South American soccer federation, said they would continue cooperating with the investigation and deepen their efforts to bolster transparency.
Authorities said a total of eight people have now pleaded guilty in the case, agreeing to forfeit more than $40 million in gains. Most admitted their guilt during a series of closed-door hearings over the course of November, according to court documents.
A person in a police car hides their face behind a folder near the 'Baur au Lac' hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, early on Thursday after Swiss police arrested FIFA officials as part of a continuing corruption investigation. PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
One of those to plead guilty was Zorana Danis, the principal of International Soccer Marketing, a small New Jersey company. The low-profile firm held sponsorship rights to South America’s most prestigious soccer tournament, the Copa Libertadores. Ms. Danis, a citizen of Belgium, was identified as an unnamed co-conspirator in the original indictment in May.
According to court documents, Ms. Danis, during a secret hearing, admitted to winning the tournament rights by paying millions in bribes to two top FIFA officials. With the rights in hand, Ms. Danis worked out lucrative sponsorship deals with Toyota Motor Corp., Santander Group and Bridgestone Corp., according to the documents, and received millions in commission payments. She pleaded guilty in May to wire fraud conspiracy and filing false tax returns.
Thursday’s arrests overshadowed a raft of internal FIFA overhauls, including term limits and integrity checks for officials and the separation of management functions. The proposals received unanimous backing from the organization’s executive committee Thursday.
The changes would see the powerful executive committee stripped of its organizational responsibilities and become a 36-member FIFA Council charged with devising long-term strategy. True executive power would lie with the general secretariat, overseen by an independent audit-and-compliance committee.
—Christopher M. Matthews, William Connors
and Rogerio Jelmayer
contributed to this article.
Corrections & Amplifications
The identities of those facing new charges from the U.S. couldn’t immediately be determined, but they are not expected to include Mr. Blatter, who is under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities over a two million Swiss franc ($1.96 million) payment from FIFA to another FIFA official. An earlier version misstated the currency conversion.
‘The high-ranking FIFA officials are alleged to have taken the money in return for selling marketing rights in connection with football tournaments in Latin America, as well as World Cup qualifying matches.’
—Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, left, and Michel Platini, the suspended FIFA official in charge of European soccer, from earlier this year. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
Corrections & Amplifications
The identities of those facing new charges from the U.S. couldn't immediately be determined, but they are not expected to include Mr. Blatter, who is under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities over a 2 million Swiss franc ($1.96 million) payment from FIFA to another FIFA official. An earlier version misstated the currency conversion.
U.S. Indicts 16 New Suspects in FIFA Corruption Case
Justice Department unseals 92-count indictment in the widening probe
 ENLARGE
Swiss police have made a new round of arrests of FIFA officials, descending on a luxury hotel in Zurich where officials from the world soccer federation were staying. PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
By ARUNA VISWANATHA, JOSHUA ROBINSON and JOHN REVILL
Updated Dec. 3, 2015 7:25 p.m. ET
22 COMMENTS
U.S. prosecutors widened their sprawling case alleging corruption at the world’s soccer-governing body on Thursday, charging 16 new suspects, including some of the highest-ranking officials in the sport.
Authorities unveiled a 92-count indictment that included charges against senior FIFA officials Alfredo Hawit and Juan Angel Napout, who were arrested in a predawn sweep by police at a Swiss luxury hotel.
When arrests were made in May at the same hotel, prosecutors alleged a wide-ranging scheme that involved two generations of soccer officials in South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean, and more than $200 million in bribes to win media and marketing rights for major tournaments.
The new charges expand on the earlier case with more examples of alleged corruption at Central and South American soccer organizations. The new indictment also cites alleged payments related both to previous tournaments and to matches extending through 2022, including World Cup qualifiers.
The yearslong investigation, which targeted defendants in 20 countries and traced money through 40, triggered the departure this year of longtime FIFA President Sepp Blatter and the suspensions of Secretary-General Jérôme Valcke and the head of European soccer, Michel Platini.
“The betrayal of trust set forth here is outrageous,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on Thursday. She said the investigation is continuing, adding, “As always, we anticipate additional charges.”
From the Archives
Soccer’s world governing body has been caught up in a corruption scandal—top officials were arrested, criminal investigations were launched, and
According to the allegations laid out in a 240-page superseding indictment, bribery was pervasive throughout the organizations and continued even after earlier allegations surfaced.
Mr. Hawit, for example, took over in 2011 as acting head of Concacaf, the confederation governing soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean, after his predecessor resigned amid corruption allegations. But prosecutors said that along with other officials, he accepted $450,000 in bribes to award rights to Concacaf tournaments between June 2011 and May 2012.
Prosecutors said that even after the initial indictment in that case was unsealed in May, Mr. Hawit directed a co-conspirator to create sham contracts to hide bribe payments, and to make false statements about the bribe payments to law enforcement agents.
Mr. Hawit, a 63-year-old former Honduran soccer player, couldn’t be reached to comment.
Rafael Callejas, the former president of Honduras and the former chief of the Honduras Soccer Federation, was also indicted, for allegedly accepting bribes linked to broadcasting rights. He said he was ready to defend himself in court.
Marco Polo del Nero, who until Thursday headed the Brazilian Soccer Confederation, or CBF, was indicted on a charge of allegedly requesting bribe payments, along with other officials, of two million Brazilian reais a year—or around $988,000 in August 2012 when some of the payments were negotiated— for the marketing rights to the Copa do Brasil tournament.
After the initial Swiss raids, Mr. del Nero left Switzerland for Brazil, and he hasn’t made any public appearances since. Last week, he resigned as a member of FIFA’s executive committee, and on Thursday the Brazilian Football Confederation said Mr. del Nero had requested a leave of absence to prepare his defense. The confederation said Mr. del Nero hasn’t been able to see the content of the accusations and that he believes that he will be able to show that he is innocent.
FIFA is based in Zurich. U.S. investigators have jurisdiction because some of the alleged payments moved through American banks, and some of the firms involved in the charges are located there.
The organization didn’t comment directly on the charges. “FIFA became aware of the actions taken today by the U.S. Department of Justice,” a FIFA spokeswoman said. “FIFA will continue to cooperate fully with the U.S. investigation as permitted by Swiss law, as well as with the investigation being led by the Swiss Office of Attorney General.”
Both Concacaf and Conmebol, the South American soccer federation, said they would continue cooperating with the investigation and deepen their efforts to bolster transparency.
Authorities said a total of eight people have now pleaded guilty in the case, agreeing to forfeit more than $40 million in gains. Most admitted their guilt during a series of closed-door hearings over the course of November, according to court documents.
A person in a police car hides their face behind a folder near the 'Baur au Lac' hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, early on Thursday after Swiss police arrested FIFA officials as part of a continuing corruption investigation. PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
One of those to plead guilty was Zorana Danis, the principal of International Soccer Marketing, a small New Jersey company. The low-profile firm held sponsorship rights to South America’s most prestigious soccer tournament, the Copa Libertadores. Ms. Danis, a citizen of Belgium, was identified as an unnamed co-conspirator in the original indictment in May.
According to court documents, Ms. Danis, during a secret hearing, admitted to winning the tournament rights by paying millions in bribes to two top FIFA officials. With the rights in hand, Ms. Danis worked out lucrative sponsorship deals with Toyota Motor Corp., Santander Group and Bridgestone Corp., according to the documents, and received millions in commission payments. She pleaded guilty in May to wire fraud conspiracy and filing false tax returns.
Thursday’s arrests overshadowed a raft of internal FIFA overhauls, including term limits and integrity checks for officials and the separation of management functions. The proposals received unanimous backing from the organization’s executive committee Thursday.
The changes would see the powerful executive committee stripped of its organizational responsibilities and become a 36-member FIFA Council charged with devising long-term strategy. True executive power would lie with the general secretariat, overseen by an independent audit-and-compliance committee.
—Christopher M. Matthews, William Connors
and Rogerio Jelmayer
contributed to this article.
Corrections & Amplifications
The identities of those facing new charges from the U.S. couldn’t immediately be determined, but they are not expected to include Mr. Blatter, who is under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities over a two million Swiss franc ($1.96 million) payment from FIFA to another FIFA official. An earlier version misstated the currency conversion.
‘The high-ranking FIFA officials are alleged to have taken the money in return for selling marketing rights in connection with football tournaments in Latin America, as well as World Cup qualifying matches.’
—Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, left, and Michel Platini, the suspended FIFA official in charge of European soccer, from earlier this year. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
Corrections & Amplifications
The identities of those facing new charges from the U.S. couldn't immediately be determined, but they are not expected to include Mr. Blatter, who is under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities over a 2 million Swiss franc ($1.96 million) payment from FIFA to another FIFA official. An earlier version misstated the currency conversion.
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