Former Fox TV executive Lopez found guilty of bribing South American soccer bosses
March 10 - The follow-up and fallout from the FIFAgate scandal is still pending in US courts, with former Fox International Channels chief Hernan Lopez being convicted of participating in a scheme to bribe South American soccer officials.
Lopez, alongside another former 21st Century Fox executive, Carlos Martinez, was accused of paying millions of dollars to South American soccer officials between 2000 and 2015 for exclusive Copa Libertadores broadcast rights, as well as insider information on US broadcast rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.
Lopez and Martinez were indicted in April 2020.
Jurors found Lopez guilty but Martinez was acquitted of the same charges. Lopez's lawyers said he plans to appeal the decision.
The South American sports marketing company Full Play Group SA was also sentenced.
Burzaco was also the key witness in the trial of former Brazilian FA president Jose Maria Marin, Peru's Manuel Burga and former Conmebol chief and FIFA vice-president Juan Angel Naput. They all pleaded not guilty to racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud.
In that trial in 2017, Burzaco spent four days on the witness stand to explain how his company paid tens of millions of dollars in bribes to defendants and other other officials.
Defense attorneys argued that the trial proved the guilt not of their clients, but of the sports marketing executives who had previously pleaded guilty and entered into plea agreements to testify for the government. It was a defense argument that was used again in Lopez and Martinez's trial with lawyers arguing that Burzaco had falsely accused the two men in hopes of getting a lighter sentence under his deal. advocacy with prosecutors.
Burzaco said Fox Sports, Grupo Televisa SAB, Media Pro, Globo, Full Play Argentina and Traffic Group all bribed FIFA officials for broadcast rights. Burzaco had previously pleaded guilty to his role and his company lost over $110 million as of December 2017. He is still awaiting sentencing.
"Today's verdict is a resounding victory for justice and for football fans everywhere," said Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.
Televisa installs
In a separate but related case, Mexican media giant Grupo Televisa agreed earlier this month to pay $95 million to settle claims by investors that it paid millions bribes to obtain the rights to broadcast the World Cup.
The lawsuit was filed in August 2018 by members of the Canada Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT) Pension Plan, which owns shares of Televisa, who claimed to have been misled.
Televisa, in entering into the settlement, has denied any wrongdoing.
Contact the author of this story at moc.l1678690042labto1678690042ofdlr1678690042owedi1678690042sni@n1678690042osloh1678690042cin.l1678690042uap1678690042
March 10 - The follow-up and fallout from the FIFAgate scandal is still pending in US courts, with former Fox International Channels chief Hernan Lopez being convicted of participating in a scheme to bribe South American soccer officials.
Lopez, alongside another former 21st Century Fox executive, Carlos Martinez, was accused of paying millions of dollars to South American soccer officials between 2000 and 2015 for exclusive Copa Libertadores broadcast rights, as well as insider information on US broadcast rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.
Lopez and Martinez were indicted in April 2020.
Jurors found Lopez guilty but Martinez was acquitted of the same charges. Lopez's lawyers said he plans to appeal the decision.
The South American sports marketing company Full Play Group SA was also sentenced.
Burzaco was also the key witness in the trial of former Brazilian FA president Jose Maria Marin, Peru's Manuel Burga and former Conmebol chief and FIFA vice-president Juan Angel Naput. They all pleaded not guilty to racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud.
In that trial in 2017, Burzaco spent four days on the witness stand to explain how his company paid tens of millions of dollars in bribes to defendants and other other officials.
Defense attorneys argued that the trial proved the guilt not of their clients, but of the sports marketing executives who had previously pleaded guilty and entered into plea agreements to testify for the government. It was a defense argument that was used again in Lopez and Martinez's trial with lawyers arguing that Burzaco had falsely accused the two men in hopes of getting a lighter sentence under his deal. advocacy with prosecutors.
Burzaco said Fox Sports, Grupo Televisa SAB, Media Pro, Globo, Full Play Argentina and Traffic Group all bribed FIFA officials for broadcast rights. Burzaco had previously pleaded guilty to his role and his company lost over $110 million as of December 2017. He is still awaiting sentencing.
"Today's verdict is a resounding victory for justice and for football fans everywhere," said Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.
Televisa installs
In a separate but related case, Mexican media giant Grupo Televisa agreed earlier this month to pay $95 million to settle claims by investors that it paid millions bribes to obtain the rights to broadcast the World Cup.
The lawsuit was filed in August 2018 by members of the Canada Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT) Pension Plan, which owns shares of Televisa, who claimed to have been misled.
Televisa, in entering into the settlement, has denied any wrongdoing.
Contact the author of this story at moc.l1678690042labto1678690042ofdlr1678690042owedi1678690042sni@n1678690042osloh1678690042cin.l1678690042uap1678690042
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