US prosecutors move to drop corruption case related to soccer television rights

NEW YORK (AP) — After a years-long legal battle, U.S. prosecutors told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that they want to abandon their fight to preserve the convictions of a former Fox executive and a South American sports media company in a corruption case involving television rights to international soccer tournaments.

Hernan Lopez, the former CEO of Fox International Channels and Full Play Group SA, was found guilty in 2023 after a trial in New York but was later given an acquittal by the judge. In July, the Court of Appeal reinstated the convictions, but additional appeals followed, and the fate of the prosecution was uncertain.

Prosecutors told the Supreme Court that the government has now decided that “dismissing this criminal case is in the interests of justice,” though they did not expand on their rationale. They asked that the case be returned to a lower court so it could consider a motion to dismiss the indictment.

Lopez said in a statement that he is grateful for the move to drop the charges and looks forward to putting the matter behind him.

“The accusations were baseless from the beginning, and I fought for five years to clear my name,” Lopez said.

An attorney representing Full Play declined to comment.

Lopez and Full Play were among dozens charged by US investigators in a years-long investigation into international soccer and FIFA. The investigation came to light in 2015, when US prosecutors accused officials in several soccer federations of receiving $150 million in bribes and bonuses.

During Lopez’s trial, witnesses said he was one of a number of executives who organized bribes to officials at the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), the governing body of soccer in South America, which helped Fox obtain the broadcast rights to the Copa Libertadores club tournament in South America. Bribes arranged by Lopez also helped Fox obtain confidential information about bidding for the rights to organize the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, prosecutors said.

But in recent years, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling has made it more difficult to secure certain types of corruption convictions. President Donald Trump’s administration has also overhauled its approach to combating graft.

The federal government moved this year to trim a section of Justice Department prosecutors responsible for pursuing fraud and corruption cases against public officials. Trump previously blocked a law prohibiting people or companies operating in the United States from giving money or gifts to officials in other countries to win or retain deals.

The United States is scheduled to host the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico. Trump, a Republican, has a close relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and last week received a new Peace Prize from FIFA.

Fox Corp, which was spun off from an international channel subsidiary during a 2019 restructuring, has not been charged in the bribery scandal and has denied any involvement.