Two Argentine sports marketing executives embroiled in a huge FIFA corruption scandal admitted Thursday to bribing international soccer officials to secure lucrative media rights, as they struck a deal with US prosecutors to avoid trial.
Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis, a father and son, were charged after a sprawling 2015 probe that rocked governing body FIFA and continental confederations for South and North America.
The US investigation, which included raids on FIFA officials in Zurich, led to a series of arrests, trials and subsequent convictions and guilty pleas.
Under a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA), the US will drop fraud charges against the Jinkises, who admitted to devising a scheme that defrauded FIFA, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL. Related News Resurgent D’Tigers face Cameroon in World Cup qualifiers WSCIJ demands probe into alleged assault of Abuja journalist Tottenham agree Romero transfer to Atletico Madrid
They also agreed to forfeit $50 million as part of the deal.
