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Federal prosecutors in New York moved Tuesday to drop charges against Hernan Lopez, a former Fox employee who was convicted of paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to secure broadcasting rights to the World Cup and other top soccer matches, as well as the company involved in the scandal.
The move would end a yearslong legal battle by past Justice Departments to preserve the convictions, which are currently caught in a slate of appeals.
In a letter dated Tuesday to U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen, who oversaw the case, U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella said the charges against Lopez and Full Play Group, the Argentine sports media rights company involved in the scandal, should be dismissed “in the interests of justice.”
In a Supreme Court filing relating to Lopez’s ongoing appeal to the high court filed Tuesday, the Solicitor General’s Office wrote that dismissal of the case is warranted for the same reason, and that the court should hear Lopez’s appeal, reverse an appeals court decision that reinstated the conviction, and return the case to a New York federal judge who could dismiss the case.
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Lopez was convicted in 2024 by a jury in Brooklyn on charges of money laundering, conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. Full Play was convicted of two additional counts of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering relating to the World Cup and Copa America.
Earlier this year, a federal appeals court ordered the reinstatement of the convictions of Lopez and Full Play after Chen granted a motion for acquittal in 2024. The Biden-era Justice Department appealed that ruling.
CBS News has attempted to reach Lopez’s representatives. Lawyers for Full Play Group declined to comment.
