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US prosecutors seek to abandon soccer TV rights corruption case
NEW YORK (AP) — After a yearslong legal battle, U.S. prosecutors told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that they want to give up their fight to preserve the convictions of a former Fox executive and South American sports media company in a corruption case related to TV rights for international soccer tournaments.
Hernan Lopez, ex-CEO of Fox International Channels, and Full Play Group SA were convicted in 2023 after a trial in New York but subsequently granted an acquittal by a judge.
An appeals court reinstated the convictions in July, but additional appeals followed and the fate of the prosecution was uncertain.
Prosecutors told the Supreme Court that the government has now determined that “dismissal of this criminal case is in the interests of justice,” though they did not expand on their rationale. They asked for the case to be sent back to a lower court so it can consider a motion to dismiss the indictment.
Attorneys who have represented Full Play and Lopez did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The filing followed a previous high court decision that has made it more difficult to secure corruption convictions, as well as a Trump administration overhaul of its approach to enforcement of public graft.
The federal government has moved this year to slash a section of Justice Department prosecutors responsible for pursing cases of fraud and corruption against public officials, and President Donald Trump previously paused a statute that prohibits people or companies operating in the U.S. from giving money or gifts to officials in other countries to win or retain deals.
The U.S. is set to host the 2026 World Cup along with Canada and Mexico. Trump, a Republican, has a close relationship with Gianni Infantino, president of the world soccer governing body FIFA, and this week was awarded a new FIFA peace prize.
Fox Corp., which split from a subsidiary of international channels during 2019 restructuring, was not charged in the bribery scandal and has denied any involvement.
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