A former 21st Century Fox executive and Uruguayan sports marketing group Full Play had fraud convictions overturned by a US judge in New York, who cited a recent Supreme Court decision involving an aide to former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
(Bloomberg) — A former 21st Century Fox executive and Uruguayan sports marketing group Full Play had fraud convictions overturned by a US judge in New York, who cited a recent Supreme Court decision involving an aide to former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Hernan Lopez was convicted in March of engaging in a wire-fraud and money-laundering scheme to get inside information to secure US broadcasting rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments. Full Play was convicted of wire-fraud and money-laundering schemes tied to bribes allegedly paid to officials at Conmebol, the governing body for South American soccer.
US District Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn said late Friday that after reviewing the high court’s decision, the conduct alleged at the trial wasn’t criminal. The Supreme Court’s decision in May overturned the the wire-fraud conspiracy conviction of former Cuomo aide Joseph Percoco and drastically limited the scope of wire-fraud prosecutions.
“In sum, the Court concludes that in light of Percoco, the evidence at trial was insufficient to sustain Defendants’ honest services wire fraud convictions,” Chen said. “The Court therefore grants defendants’ motions to acquit on all counts of conviction.”
Full Play is grateful for the “well-reasoned decision,” Carlos Ortiz, a lawyer for the company, said in a statement. “It has been a long journey and our client greatly appreciates the Court’s complete vindication.” David Sarratt, a lawyer for Lopez, welcomed the judge’s “thorough and correct decision.”
The case was part of a US crackdown on cheating at FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, that burst on the scene with a raid at a luxury Zurich hotel in May 2015.
The US prosecutions resulted in the convictions of dozens of people, including two former FIFA officials who were convicted and sentenced after a 2017 trial. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn also secured dozens of other guilty pleas as part of the crackdown.
John Marzulli, a spokesman for Brooklyn-based US Attorney Breon Peace, whose office prosecuted the case, said they are reviewing the decision.
The case is US v Webb, 15-CR-252, US District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn).
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