(ATR) The plea bargain Chuck Blazer took with the United States federal investigators has been released to the public.
The agreement, dated Nov. 25, 2013, was signed in a locked Brooklyn courthouse to ensure its secrecy during an investigation into FIFA officials by the United States Department of Justice. A transcript of the hearing, but not the details of the plea bargain, was released on Jun. 3.
On Jun. 4, media agencies began requests to unseal Blazer’s plea agreement, which were granted on Jun. 15. Judge Raymond Dearie ordered the unsealing of the documents, saying that due to previous media reports of Blazer’s activities, the ongoing investigation would not be "prejudiced" by the public knowledge of Blazer’s deal.
"Despite these proffered interests, the court concludes that the government has not met its heavy burden of establishing that sealing remains warranted," Dearie wrote in his ruling.
Blazer served as secretary general ofConfederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football from 1990 to 2011, during which he received bribes and kickbacks from sports marketing firms to ensure the confederation awarded the rights to its continental tournaments to certain partners.
The documents officially show that Blazer had been cooperating with the FBI since 2011, nearly two years before pleading guilty to 10 counts of racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion. Blazer served as a FIFA executive committee member from 1996 to 2013.
In addition to handing documents over to federal prosecutors, Blazer helped secretly tape conversations to aid law enforcement in their investigation.
Blazer was ordered to pay back taxes on $11 million on unreported income, and had to return $1.96 million in kickbacks he received while secretary general of CONCACAF.
In addition, Blazer must testify in the case against the 14 FIFA and sports marketing officials who were indicted by the U.S. DoJ on May 27. Thirteen off the 14 men indicted are facing extradition orders to the U.S. according to a report in the New York Daily News, while seven of those 13 are in Swiss jail.
Written by Aaron Bauer
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