Officials with FIFA have been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice, reports said. Swiss police began making arrests early Wednesday.
FIFA President Joseph Blatter speaks to journalists in Zurich on Friday.
Ennio Leanza / AP
The U.S. Department of Justice will file corruption charges against several officials in soccer's worldwide governing organization, multiple reports said late Tuesday.
The charges are part of an indictment against FIFA officials, and according to The New York Times include allegations of fraud, racketeering, and money laundering.
The officials had not been publicly named late Tuesday, but CNN reported that up to 14 people could be charged Wednesday in U.S. Federal Court.
FIFA President Joseph Blatter reportedly was not among those to be indicted, though CNN reported he was investigated. According to the Times, the indictment will include executive committee vice presidents Jeffrey Webb and Eugenio Figueredo, as well as Jack Warner, a former member of the executive committee.
The Times also reported that official Eduardo Li was led away from the hotel by police.
An unnamed law enforcement source told the Times the corruption "seemed to permeate every element of the federation and was just their way of doing business."
Coordinating with the Justice Department, police in Switzerland began making arrests in Zurich, where FIFA is based and where members have gathered for an upcoming organization presidential election, Bloomberg reported. Reporter Michael Schmidt described seeing plainclothes officers arriving at the Baur au Lac hotel and leaving with bags of evidence.
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1J00SNj
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