Panamanian Firm Mimo Guilty in Soccer Bribe Scandal

Hard evidence and a guilty plea have exposed Panamanian shell company Mimo International Imports and Exports, Inc. as a key player in a brazen international bribery scheme targeting Costa Rican soccer. In federal court in Brooklyn, Mimo admitted to conspiring to pay former Costa Rican soccer federation (FEDEFUT) president Eduardo Li $500,000 in exchange for terminating a 2012 sponsorship deal—freeing Mimo’s owners to pocket millions in rescission fees. The company paid over $300,000 before Li was arrested in Zurich on May 27, 2015.

U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen presided over today’s sentencing, where Mimo was ordered to pay $500,000 in restitution directly to FEDEFUT and a $900,000 fine. As part of the plea agreement, Mimo also agreed to dissolve its corporate existence within 90 days—effectively erasing the company from the global business landscape. No individual executives were named in the proceedings, but the corporation’s actions were laid bare through court filings and testimony detailing deliberate deception and financial corruption.

Richard P. Donoghue, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, made it clear: Mimo didn’t just break the law—they gutted the integrity of an entire national sports body. “The defendant company Mimo agreed to bribe the president of the Costa Rican soccer federation, depriving the federation of $500,000 as well as of its president’s honest services,” Donoghue stated. “Mimo admitted its guilt and will make full restitution, pay a $900,000 fine, and cease operations.”

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. framed the case as another knockout blow in a years-long global takedown of soccer corruption. “This plea is just one in an increasing pile of investigations and cases the FBI and our law enforcement partners from around the world have been pursuing for years,” Sweeney said. “It shows we’re not slowing down in our efforts to stop greedy, criminal behavior casting a dark shadow on a game the world reveres.”

IRS Criminal Investigation’s R. Damon Rowe emphasized that financial crimes like this aren’t victimless. “Today’s guilty plea is a clear demonstration of IRS Criminal Investigation’s continued commitment to pursue financial crimes, including those which further corruption in the world of international soccer,” Rowe said. “IRS CI is committed to ending these practices and bringing bad actors, including corporate entities, to justice.”

Court documents reveal the mechanics of the betrayal: Mimo had a valid sponsorship deal with FEDEFUT through 2018, but in 2014, it turned predator. To kill the contract, Mimo dangled $500,000 in bribes to Li, who complied—terminating the deal and signing FEDEFUT with an American sports apparel company. Mimo reps warned Li to keep the bribe secret, and never disclosed it to the new sponsor. Li pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy on October 7, 2016, confirming the payoff under oath. The investigation, led by the Eastern District of New York, FBI New York, and IRS-CI Los Angeles, continues to dismantle the rot festering beneath the world’s most popular sport.