The FBI and IRS press conference regarding the raids that took place at the FIFA headquarters in Switzerland and the CONCACAF offices in Miami Beach is underway.
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The U.S. Department of Justice announced that nine FIFA officials and five Corporate Executives were indicted for racketeering, conspiracy and corruption. The defendants include two current FIFA Vice Presidents, and the current and former Presidents of CONCACAF.
CONCACAF is the North American governing body for FIFA.
U.S. attorney general Loretta Lynch was the first to speak on the podium at the press conference and outlined the charges, which go as far back as 1991.
“They did this over and over. Year after year. Tournament after tournament,” Lynch said.
Lynch said $110 million in bribes were related to next year’s Copa América Centenario in the United States alone.
Kelly Currie, acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, said the investigation took years. “This is only the beginning of our effort, not the end,” Currie said.
Richard Weber, chief of the IRS criminal investigation, said, “This prosecution really is the World Cup of fraud and today we are issuing FIFA a red card.”
When Lynch opened the podium to questions from the media, the first inquiry was about the status of FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
The attorney general did not comment on the status of Blatter. She said she’s not going to comment on the status of any individual.
“I’m not able to comment further on Mr. Blatter’s status,” she said.