Justice Department Appeals for Reinstatement of Convictions for Ex-Fox Executive and Soccer Marketing Group”
The U.S. Justice Department is urging a federal appeals court to reinstate the convictions of Hernan Lopez, former CEO of Fox International Channels, and the sports media and marketing company, Full Play Group SA, in the FIFA bribery investigation. U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen had granted an acquittal in September, referencing a U.S. Supreme Court decision related to an aide of former New York Gov.
Andrew Cuomo. Lopez and Full Play were initially convicted on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy tied to various soccer tournaments.
Justice Department
Judge Chen’s decision was influenced by the Supreme Court’s reversal of the wire fraud conspiracy conviction of Joseph Percoco, an aide to Cuomo, due to vague jury instructions. Chen asserted that the Supreme Court’s recent decisions on wire fraud rendered the evidence at trial insufficient to uphold the convictions of Lopez and Full Play.
In response, the U.S. Justice Department filed a motion to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, contending that Chen’s misapprehension of certain facts led to the improper overturning of two conviction counts related to the scheme to defraud CONCACAF, the soccer governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean. The government argued that Chen’s analysis disregarded trial evidence supporting these counts, which would remain valid under the court’s post-verdict legal rule.
Furthermore, the government criticized Chen for not acknowledging that one of the schemes involved Full Play bribing a soccer executive who violated fiduciary duties to a U.S.-based soccer organization for tournament rights in the United States. The Justice Department seeks the reinstatement of the convictions, emphasizing errors in Chen’s interpretation and the need for acknowledgment of the schemes at the heart of the case.
