Former Fox exec convicted in FIFA bribery case, other acquitted

  10 March 2023    Read: 619
Former Fox exec convicted in FIFA bribery case, other acquitted

A Brooklyn federal jury on Thursday convicted a former 21st Century Fox executive and acquitted another after a trial over an alleged scheme to bribe South American soccer officials to secure lucrative broadcasting rights.

Jurors found Hernan Lopez guilty but acquitted Carlos Martinez on the same charges. South American sports marketing company Full Play Group SA was also convicted.

An attorney for Lopez, John Gleeson, said in a statement that he was disappointed with the verdict but looked forward to appealing based on "legal and factual errors" in the case.

Martinez's attorney, Steven McCool, told reporters he was "tremendously grateful to the jury for bringing justice to Carlos."

Lawyers for Full Play Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A cooperating witness testified at trial that he paid tens of millions of dollars in bribes with the blessing of defendants Martinez and Lopez, both former Fox executives.

The case stems from a sweeping probe of corruption in international soccer and its governing body, FIFA, that has resulted in scores of convictions since U.S. and international authorities made their first arrests in 2015.

 


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