March 3 – The former president of the Guatemalan FA, Brayan Jimenez, pleaded not guilty and was released on $1.5 million bail Wednesday 24 hours after being extradited to the United States to faces charges for his alleged role in football’s global corruption scandal.
Jimenez appeared in a Brooklyn federal court to face an indictment containing charges including racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering.
Under a bail package agreed to by prosecutors and his defense lawyer, he left court with an electronic monitor and will stay with friends in New Jersey until trial.
Jimenez had been in custody since his January 13 arrest in Guatemala City after initially being on the run. His arrest came a month after that of Hector Trujillo, his former number two at the federation who was released, in his case on $4 million bail, last month after also pleading not guilty.
Jimenez and Trujillo are among 41 individuals and entities charged as part of the widespread US investigation into schemes involving over $200 million in bribes and kickbacks for marketing and broadcasting rights to various tournaments and matches.
Many of the defendants have pleaded guilty but Jimenez’s attorney, Justine Harris, said her client was pleased to be reunited with his family. “He’s been in custody for over a month and looks forward to facing the charges in court,” she said.
Jimenez indicated that he might engage in plea bargain talks, responding “that’s correct” when asked by the judge whether time should be provided for possible discussions with the US government about a new plea.
Jimenez had been president of the Guatemalan FA since 2010 and was a member of FIFA’s Fair Play and Social Responsibility committee.
US prosecutors allege that beginning in 2010, Jimenez solicited and accepted bribe payments from Media World, an affiliate of Spanish media company Imagina Group, in exchange for media and marketing rights for World Cup qualifier matches.
One payment was a “six-figure bribe” to be split among Jimenez and two other Guatemalans for media and marketing rights for 2018 World Cup qualifier matches, according to the indictment.
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