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Ex-Guatemalan soccer chief pleads guilty in FIFA bribe case

Posted July 29, 2016 7:00 am

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - A former Guatemalan soccer federation president has pleaded guilty in New York to charges related to a sprawling corruption investigation of world soccer.

Brayan Jimenez pleaded guilty Friday to federal racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges, each carrying up to 20 years in prison. It's unclear when he'll be sentenced.

The 62-year-old Jimenez is among 40 people from around the world charged in a FIFA (FEE'-fuh) bribery scandal over lucrative broadcasting rights.

Prosecutors say Jimenez accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from a Florida-based sports marketing company. They say in exchange for the money Jimenez awarded the company media marketing rights to the Guatemalan soccer team's World Cup qualifying matches in 2018 and 2022.

Jimenez's attorneys haven't returned a message seeking comment on his guilty plea.

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