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Law360 (March 30, 2020, 8:59 PM EDT ) A New York federal judge on Monday granted former Brazilian soccer federation president Jose Maria Marin an early release from prison, citing in part his health risks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen granted the former soccer boss' motion for compassionate release, citing the 87-year-old Marin's advanced age, deteriorating health and risk of grave consequences from the coronavirus outbreak. Marin, who was sentenced to four years in prison, was originally scheduled to be released in December, according to the Bureau of Prisons' website. He was convicted in 2017 on charges stemming from the U.S. government's wide-ranging FIFA corruption probe.
Judge Chen also noted Marin's status as a nonviolent offender and the fact that he has completed 80% of his original sentence. Prosecutors signed off on Marin's emergency motion to reduce his sentence, according to the judge's order.
An attorney for Marin, Charles A. Stillman of Ballard Spahr LLP, told Law360 Monday they are grateful for Judge Chen's wisdom and appreciative of prosecutors' sensitivity in the matter.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment.
Marin was convicted in December 2017 along with Juan Angel Napout, a former president of the South American soccer confederation known as CONMEBOL, of agreeing to receive millions of dollars in bribes from sports marketing executives in exchange for their votes to award lucrative television and media rights to major soccer tournaments.
The jury found Marin guilty of racketeering conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud conspiracy and two counts of money laundering conspiracy. Both Marin and Napout — who was sentenced to nine years in prison — have appealed their convictions, but the Second Circuit has yet to decide their cases.
A third defendant, Manuel Burga, a former president of the Peruvian soccer association, was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy, the only charge he faced, because of limits on his extradition.
The trial itself was the culmination of an effort by the U.S. attorney's office and others to root out corruption at the highest levels of international soccer, tracking down soccer officials in cooperation with Swiss authorities, who apprehended Napout and Marin in Zurich in 2015. At least 17 individuals have pled guilty to U.S. charges in connection with the investigation.
The government is represented by M. Kristin Mace, Samuel P. Nitze and Keith D. Edelman of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Marin is represented by Charles A. Stillman, Bradley Gershel and James A. Mitchell of Ballard Spahr LLP.
The case is U.S. v. Marin, case number 1:15-cr-00252, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
--Editing by Janice Carter Brown.
For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.
