Former South American soccer boss will remain in US prison

By: Ronald Blum, The Associated Press Posted: 10:31 AM CDT Tuesday, Apr. 14, 2020 Last Modified: 2:31 PM CDT Wednesday, Apr. 15, 2020

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NEW YORK - The former head of South American soccer will remain in a U.S. prison.

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NEW YORK - The former head of South American soccer will remain in a U.S. prison.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/04/2020 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK – The former head of South American soccer will remain in a U.S. prison.

A federal judge on Tuesday denied the request by Juan Ángel Napout to be released on bail, four days after she rejected his application for compassionate release.

“The court finds that defendant has not demonstrated by ‘clear and convincing evidence’ that he ‘is not likely to flee,'” U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen wrote in a brief order. “If anything, the court finds that defendant’s incentive to flee is greater now than when he was initially remanded, given that defendant has been in prison for approximately 28 months and faces the prospect of having to return to prison for five more years if his appeal is unsuccessful.”

FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2017 file photo, Juan Angel Napout, of Paraguay, arrives to federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York. A federal judge denied a request by the former head of South American soccer to be given compassionate release from prison because of the new coronavirus pandemic but reserved judgment Friday, April 10, 2020, on his request for release on bail pending his appeal. U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen in Brooklyn said Juan Ángel Napout had not exhausted his administrative remedies with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in seeking compassionate release.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Napout, who is from Paraguay, was convicted in December 2017 of one count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of wire fraud conspiracy related to bribes involving broadcast and marketing rights of South American tournaments.

Napout, who turns 62 on May 13, is serving a nine-year sentence and is scheduled for release on Aug. 9, 2025. His attempt to overturn the verdict is pending before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but Chen concluded the appeal did not raise a substantial legal issue likely to lead to a reversal.

Citing the coronavirus pandemic, Napout filed a request for compassionate release with the Bureau of Prisons on March 30, and the bureau has 30 days to make a decision. Chen ruled Friday he had not exhausted his administrative remedies.

Napout is held at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Miami, which prosecutors said has not had any coronavirus cases.

“The court does not find that defendant’s particular circumstances, as they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic, justify his release pending appeal or lessen the risk of flight he poses,” Chen wrote. “Accordingly, release pending appeal is denied.”

Napout was president of the South American governing body CONMEBOL from August 2014 until December 2015, president of the Paraguayan Football Association from 2007-14 and a member of FIFA’s executive committee. He was arrested in Zurich while attending FIFA meetings in December 2015.

Napout was banned for life from soccer by FIFA last September and fined 1 million Swiss francs (then $1.01 million). He has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and a hearing is scheduled for May 13.

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