FifaGate: Ex-Guatemala boss sentenced to time served, fined $350,000 for extortion and fraud in connection with scandal

New York: The former chief of the Guatemalan football federation, who was convicted for extortion and fraud in connection with the FifaGate scandal, was sentenced to time served on Tuesday and fined $350,000. [caption id=“attachment_4435431” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] US District Judge Pamela Chen in New York authorized Brayan Jimenez – who presided over Guatemala’s National Football Federation between December 2009 and May 2015 – to take back his passport and return to his country, court documents showed. A court spokeswoman and his lawyer Justine Harris added he would have to pay a fine of $350,000. He will remain on probation for two years. Jimenez had spent more than 20 days in a Guatemalan jail, following his arrest in Guatemala City in early 2016, before being extradited to the United States, according to a spokesman for the Brooklyn federal prosecutor. He received a reduced sentence after pleading guilty in July 2016 to conspiracy to extort and to fraud, in connection with bribes received in exchange for granting media rights and marketing on qualifying matches of Guatemala’s team for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. In April 2017, he was banned for life from any football-related activity by FIFA’s Ethics Commission. A hearing scheduled for 2 April, which Jimenez is not required to attend, will fix the amount of money to be reimbursed to organizations or persons aggrieved by his actions.