Julio Rocha Pleads Guilty to FIFA Bribery Scheme

Julio Rocha, 66, the former president of the Nicaraguan soccer federation (FENIFUT) and FIFA development officer, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court to racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy tied to a sprawling bribery scheme involving World Cup qualifier rights. Rocha admitted to accepting over $150,000 in bribes in exchange for awarding lucrative media and marketing contracts to Traffic Sports USA, Inc., a Florida-based sports marketing firm.

As president of FENIFUT from 1998 to 2012, Rocha used his authority to steer contracts for Nicaragua’s national team home matches during the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers to Traffic. The bribes were funneled through U.S. bank accounts via intermediaries into accounts controlled by Rocha. Even after stepping down from FENIFUT, he worked behind the scenes as a FIFA development officer to broker deals for the 2022 World Cup rights, aiming to pocket a cut of future bribe payments.

Rocha also schemed to line his own pockets through a separate kickback arrangement with a Miami-based company hired to secure corporate sponsorships for the Nicaraguan federation. That deal, like the others, was a corrupt abuse of his leadership role, turning FENIFUT into a personal piggy bank. His actions have been laid bare through court filings and evidence presented during his plea hearing before U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Rocha has agreed to forfeit $292,000—more than double the amount he personally received—marking one of the latest takedowns in the U.S. government’s long-running crackdown on global soccer corruption. He now faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on each count at sentencing, a hammer blow to a man who once operated in the shadows of international sports administration.

The investigation, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the FBI’s New York Field Office, and IRS Criminal Investigation in Los Angeles, continues to unravel layers of graft within FIFA’s orbit. Prosecutors are being assisted by multiple divisions within the Justice Department, including the Organized Crime and Gang Section, the Fraud Section, and INTERPOL Washington, signaling the transnational reach of the probe.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan M. Norris, Paul Tuchmann, Keith D. Edelman, and Brian D. Morris are handling the prosecution in E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15 CR 252 (S-1). With the government warning the investigation remains active, Rocha’s guilty plea may be just another domino to fall in the ongoing collapse of a corrupt global sports machine.