Chuck Blazer was a powerful figure in international football, and he enjoyed the trappings that came with the role: two apartments at Trump Tower in Manhattan, expensive cars, luxury properties in Miami and the Bahamas.
But for all of Blazer's lavish life, he did not file income tax returns. And in August 2011, Steve Berryman, an IRS agent in Los Angeles, opened a criminal investigation.
Thousands of miles away in New York, two FBI agents, Jared Randall and John Penza, were working on an investigation of their own, one that had spun off an unrelated Russian organised-crime case in December 2010. The agents on opposite sides of the country were looking at some of the same people.
In December 2011, news reports revealed that the FBI was asking questions about FIFA, global football's governing body, and the California investigators called New York. The two agencies joined forces, setting in motion the sprawling international case that led to the arrests of top football officials this week. The investigation, which involved coordination with police agencies and diplomats in 33 countries, was described by law enforcement officials as one of the most complicated international white-collar cases in recent memory.
Fourteen people have been indicted in schemes linked to corruption in the highest echelons of FIFA. And United States authorities say more charges are all but certain.
The American government's aggressive move shocked the football world and led to questions about whether the US had set out on a mission to topple the leadership of FIFA, which has long been troubled by allegations of corruption. But officials at the Justice Department, the FBI and the IRS said the impetus was criminal activity and organised crime that just happened to occur in the football world.
"I don't think there was ever a decision or a declaration that we would go after football," said said Richard Weber, the chief of the IRS unit in charge of criminal investigations. "We were going after corruption." He added, "One thing led to another, led to another and another."
Still, investigators quickly realised the potential scope of their case. By the time the FBI and the IRS teamed up, an undercover sting operation by the British newspaper The Sunday Times had revealed corruption in FIFA's highest ranks. Reporters around the globe followed with articles about whether football's top officials could be bought. "We always knew it was going to be a very large case," Attorney General Loretta E Lynch said.
"The case starts off as a tax case against Blazer, but our involvement isn't just on the tax aspect," Weber said. "Once we get involved in an international corruption case like this one, we use our financial expertise to follow the money."
Neither Lynch nor Weber would say what broke the case open, but several law enforcement officials said the earliest success came when Blazer agreed to cooperate with the government and help prosecutors build a case against other FIFA officials. The Daily News, which first reported that cooperation, said it began in 2011. Working with federal agents, Blazer surreptitiously recorded FIFA officials in 2012, law enforcement officials said.
By 2013, when Blazer pleaded guilty to tax and corruption charges, federal investigators had an understanding of corruption in FIFA and had their eyes on officials such as Jack Warner. He was among those arrested this week. Prosecutors say he helped steer the 2010 World Cup tournament to South Africa as part of a $10-million bribery scheme. He has denied the allegations.
The Justice Department's indictment describes a corrupt system where news media and marketing executives regularly paid bribes to secure the rights to broadcast and advertise international football. In all, prosecutors documented more than $150 million in bribes, and they said American banks had been used in the scheme. That was an important hook allowing prosecutors to bring the case in American courts.
At the Justice Department, authorities have long known that the case would lead to sweeping indictments. But arresting FIFA officials spread across the globe was an unwieldy proposition. Once the indictment was ready, federal agents recommended making the arrests in Switzerland when FIFA leaders had gathered for an annual meeting.
©2015 The New York Times New Service
But for all of Blazer's lavish life, he did not file income tax returns. And in August 2011, Steve Berryman, an IRS agent in Los Angeles, opened a criminal investigation.
Thousands of miles away in New York, two FBI agents, Jared Randall and John Penza, were working on an investigation of their own, one that had spun off an unrelated Russian organised-crime case in December 2010. The agents on opposite sides of the country were looking at some of the same people.
In December 2011, news reports revealed that the FBI was asking questions about FIFA, global football's governing body, and the California investigators called New York. The two agencies joined forces, setting in motion the sprawling international case that led to the arrests of top football officials this week. The investigation, which involved coordination with police agencies and diplomats in 33 countries, was described by law enforcement officials as one of the most complicated international white-collar cases in recent memory.
Fourteen people have been indicted in schemes linked to corruption in the highest echelons of FIFA. And United States authorities say more charges are all but certain.
The American government's aggressive move shocked the football world and led to questions about whether the US had set out on a mission to topple the leadership of FIFA, which has long been troubled by allegations of corruption. But officials at the Justice Department, the FBI and the IRS said the impetus was criminal activity and organised crime that just happened to occur in the football world.
"I don't think there was ever a decision or a declaration that we would go after football," said said Richard Weber, the chief of the IRS unit in charge of criminal investigations. "We were going after corruption." He added, "One thing led to another, led to another and another."
Still, investigators quickly realised the potential scope of their case. By the time the FBI and the IRS teamed up, an undercover sting operation by the British newspaper The Sunday Times had revealed corruption in FIFA's highest ranks. Reporters around the globe followed with articles about whether football's top officials could be bought. "We always knew it was going to be a very large case," Attorney General Loretta E Lynch said.
"The case starts off as a tax case against Blazer, but our involvement isn't just on the tax aspect," Weber said. "Once we get involved in an international corruption case like this one, we use our financial expertise to follow the money."
Neither Lynch nor Weber would say what broke the case open, but several law enforcement officials said the earliest success came when Blazer agreed to cooperate with the government and help prosecutors build a case against other FIFA officials. The Daily News, which first reported that cooperation, said it began in 2011. Working with federal agents, Blazer surreptitiously recorded FIFA officials in 2012, law enforcement officials said.
By 2013, when Blazer pleaded guilty to tax and corruption charges, federal investigators had an understanding of corruption in FIFA and had their eyes on officials such as Jack Warner. He was among those arrested this week. Prosecutors say he helped steer the 2010 World Cup tournament to South Africa as part of a $10-million bribery scheme. He has denied the allegations.
The Justice Department's indictment describes a corrupt system where news media and marketing executives regularly paid bribes to secure the rights to broadcast and advertise international football. In all, prosecutors documented more than $150 million in bribes, and they said American banks had been used in the scheme. That was an important hook allowing prosecutors to bring the case in American courts.
At the Justice Department, authorities have long known that the case would lead to sweeping indictments. But arresting FIFA officials spread across the globe was an unwieldy proposition. Once the indictment was ready, federal agents recommended making the arrests in Switzerland when FIFA leaders had gathered for an annual meeting.
©2015 The New York Times New Service