Soccer

Company admits it bribed soccer officials for World Cup media rights

A Florida media company will have to cough up more than $24 million after admitting Tuesday to bribing high-ranking international soccer officials for exclusive broadcast access to World Cup qualifier matches.

Imagina US LLC pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court to two counts of wire-fraud conspiracy.

Corporate counsel Erika Lucas admitted to Judge Pamela Chen that former Imagina execs Roger Huguet and Fabio Tordin had paid bribes to intermediaries to secure media-marketing rights to games in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica covering 2014, 2018 and 2022.

Huguet and Tordin had previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.

Half the $24 million — which include fines, restitution and forfeiture amounts — has already been paid, but one check is literally still “in the mail,” Assistant US Attorney David Pitluck said.

The surprise revelation in the wire-fraud case prompted Chen to joke, “I hate to say this given the nature of the case, but couldn’t they have just wired it to you?”

The remark was met with stunned silence, and Chen muttered, “Sorry.”

She immediately sentenced the company following the guilty plea, which included a nonprosecution agreement.

Imagina US was also sentenced to an additional $12.8 million fine, which will be paid by its parent company, Imagina Media of Spain.

“Corporations that operate in the United States have a responsibility to ensure that their officers do not engage in corrupt conduct and to take steps to root out corrupt conduct as soon as they are put on notice of it,” US ­Attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement.

A spokesman for Imagina said the resolution “enables Imagina to move forward as a stronger company.”