There is a 2.74-acre estate in Loganville, Ga., that features a curvy swimming pool and an ornate gate at the head of its drive. On a private island in Miami, a high-rise apartment overlooks the water. And in modest sections of that city, eight cookie-cutter rental units sit in sleepy development communities. The properties are owned by some of the world’s highest-ranking soccer officials and sports marketing executives, and they are tied to tainted money, United States authorities say.
Of all the revelations packed into the federal indictment in May of FIFA officials and sports marketing executives — including bribery, fraud and money laundering — one detail received little attention: Some of the men charged own property in the United States, and the government plans to seize it.