Trending News|June 16, 2015 02:35 EDT
FIFA Scandal News: Blazer Agreed to be an Informant to Avoid 75-Year Jail Sentence
Former FIFA executive and corruption scandal whistleblower Chuck Blazer may be just as, if not more, guilty as anyone charged. But as details of his 2013 plea bargain were made public Monday, it appears his guilt has led to the world football governing body's biggest scandal in history.
As reported by The Guardian, Blazer agreed to go "undercover" to help the U.S. expose the deep-seated corruption in FIFA as a means of avoiding a 75-year sentence.
Back in 2013, the 70-year-old pled guilty to 10 charges, which included bribery, money laundering, and tax evasion"”all of which had a combined maximum imprisonment term of 75 years. To avoid doing the time, Blazer agreed to become an informant of the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department and collect evidence that would implicate other FIFA executives.
As noted by the report, the plea bargain agreement revealed that Blazer began providing information to authorities in December 2011 back when he was acting as the general secretary of the North and Central American CONCACAF.
"I and others on the FIFA executive committee agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the selection of South Africa as the host nation for the 2010 World Cup," Blazer told a judge during a secret court session in a Brooklyn courtroom back in 2013.
Apart from providing information to prosecutors and participating in undercover activities, Blazer also agreed to testify at future trials of his former FIFA colleagues, and pay back over $11 million in avoided taxes, according to the report.
His role in uncovering the goings-on within the organization has led to a whirlwind of events that included the arrests of nine high-ranking FIFA officials along with five sports marketing executives tied up with the various corruption charges.
FIFA's longtime president Sepp Blatter also announced his resignation after a replacement would be elected, but has since expressed indecision in that regard after Africa and Asia reportedly voiced out its support for him to stay.