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BSP-03
FBL-GUA-US-CORRUPTION-FIFA-COURT
FifaGate: Ex-Guatemala boss sentenced to time served, fined $350,000
NEW YORK, Feb 6, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The former chief of the Guatemalan
football federation, who was convicted for extortion and fraud in connection
with the FifaGate scandal, was sentenced to time served on Tuesday and fined
$350,000.
US District Judge Pamela Chen in New York authorized Brayan Jimenez — who
presided over Guatemala’s National Football Federation between December 2009
and May 2015 — to take back his passport and return to his country, court
documents showed.
A court spokeswoman and his lawyer Justine Harris added he would have to
pay a fine of $350,000. He will remain on probation for two years.
Jimenez had spent more than 20 days in a Guatemalan jail, following his
arrest in Guatemala City in early 2016, before being extradited to the United
States, according to a spokesman for the Brooklyn federal prosecutor.
He received a reduced sentence after pleading guilty in July 2016 to
conspiracy to extort and to fraud, in connection with bribes received in
exchange for granting media rights and marketing on qualifying matches of
Guatemala’s team for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
In April 2017, he was banned for life from any football-related activity by
FIFA’s Ethics Commission. A hearing scheduled for April 2, which Jimenez is
not required to attend, will fix the amount of money to be reimbursed to
organizations or persons aggrieved by his actions.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0845 hrs