New York – In a significant legal development, a U.S. District Judge, Pamela Chen, sitting in Brooklyn, has rendered a verdict that effectively quashes the convictions of Hernan Lopez, a former Fox executive, and the Argentine sports marketing company, Full Play Group. Their convictions had arisen from allegations of attempting to bribe soccer officials in exchange for lucrative broadcasting contracts.
Judge Chen’s Friday night ruling asserted that the convictions handed down on March 9th could not be upheld, as the federal law pertaining to honest services wire fraud did not encompass foreign commercial bribery.
The decision drew its strength from the U.S. Supreme Court’s pronouncement on May 11th, which invalidated an unrelated corruption conviction involving Joseph Percoco, a former aide to ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. This precedent set new boundaries on the applicability of the fraud law.
In a 55-page written judgment, Judge Chen elucidated, “None of the government’s arguments, grounded in common law, state law, civil law, foreign law, or codes of conduct, were sufficient to establish the legitimacy of applying this federal criminal statute to foreign commercial bribery.”
Furthermore, the judge also nullified the money laundering convictions of both Lopez and Full Play, as they hinged on the now-overturned fraud convictions.
In response, a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in Brooklyn disclosed that their office was in the process of reviewing the judge’s decision.
David Sarratt, representing Hernan Lopez, expressed satisfaction, stating, “We are obviously pleased with Judge Chen’s thorough and accurate decision. We have never wavered in our belief in our client’s innocence.”
Likewise, Carlos Ortiz, counsel for Full Play, conveyed his client’s gratitude, asserting, “We very much appreciate the court’s complete vindication.”
Hernan Lopez and Full Play were among more than 40 defendants ensnared in a massive crackdown initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2015, targeting corruption within the soccer world, including FIFA, the sport’s global governing body. This case led to over 31 guilty pleas and the conviction of two soccer officials following a 2017 jury trial.