Ex-Salvadoran Soccer President Pleads Guilty In FIFA Case
Reynaldo Vasquez, former president of the Salvadoran soccer
federation admitted his role in a purportedly criminal scheme centered around
bribing Central American sports officials on Monday, marking the the latest
page in the book of guilty pleas to come out of the U.S. government’s expansive
FIFA corruption investigation.
During the remote hearing before U.S. District Judge Pamela
Chen, Vasquez — the onetime president of the Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol,
or FESFUT, pled guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy.
Prosecutors accuse Vasquez of taking bribes in exchange for
granting media and marketing rights to the national team’s FIFA World Cup
qualifying matches. They also allege he helped secure “friendlies”,
non-tournament matches against other national teams in the Central American
Football Union.
Vasquez was initially charged and indicted in 2015 with a
laundry list of financial crimes, including: racketeering conspiracy, wire
fraud, money laundering, wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to commit money
laundering. The terms of his U.S extradition from El Salvador earlier this year
however, only allowed prosecution on the racketeering conspiracy charge.
Speaking through a Spanish interpreter, Vasquez admitted to
Judge Chen that in 2012 he sold marketing and media rights for matches to be
played ahead of the 2018 World Cup in exchange for $350,000 in bribe money in
an account he controlled from a coconspirator at Miami-based sports marketer
Media World.
“My participation in this bribing was wrong,” Vasquez said.
As part of his agreement, Vasquez has agreed to forfeit
$360,000 and also pay any restitution if connected with his sentencing. Another
term of the agreement is that Vasquez will not contest his deportation from the
U.S.
Vasquez’s attorney told Judge Chen the defense believes a
sentencing range of 27 to 33 months would be appropriate for the crimes
committed. The government’s estimation is a bit higher, from 33 to 41 months.
“Mr. Vasquez didn’t achieve his dream of wealth and power,
and now he faces the possibility of many years in federal prison,” Michael J.
Driscoll, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York office, said
in a statement. “Today’s plea should demonstrate to others who attempt to
corrupt international soccer — we play to win.”
The FIFA corruption probe has resulted in dozens of publicly
announced individual guilty pleas, four corporate guilty pleas (including
Julius Baer) and the convictions at trial of two other former presidents of
South American soccer federations.
In October 2019, FIFA slapped Vasquez with a lifetime ban
and fined him 500,000 Swiss francs ($546,800) after finding him guilty of
bribery, a violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.
Vasquez is sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 16.
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