“We are obviously pleased with Judge Chen’s thorough and correct decision,” John Gleeson, a lawyer for Mr. López, said in a statement on Saturday.
Lawyers for Full Play wrote in a statement on Saturday that their client “greatly appreciates the court’s complete vindication.”
The case in Brooklyn was one of many spawned by a yearslong corruption investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into international soccer officials, which has led to more than two dozen convictions and over $100 million in forfeitures.
Beyond the immediate acquittals of Mr. López and Full Play, the ruling could have significant implications for other defendants in the sprawling case. Two South American soccer officials were convicted after the first trial, in 2017, and could now seek acquittals, and at least four other defendants who have evaded extradition, including the Argentine owners of Full Play, could see the charges against them dropped. So far, the court has not spoken about those issues.
John Marzulli, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York, said on Saturday that the prosecutor’s office was reviewing the decision.
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