Federal agents boarded the Disney Dream while docked at Port Canaveral on Friday morning to arrest 62-year old Héctor Trujillo, a Guatemalan judge, who is one of dozens of soccer officials charged by U.S. prosecutors investigating corruption in the sport’s world governing body FIFA.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation said that Trujillo, was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents who went to his cabin door. Trujillo sailed on the November 30th 4-Night Bahamian Very MerryTime cruise that returned to Port Canaveral, Florida on Friday morning.
His family, including a son wearing a 2014 FIFA World Cup T-shirt, looked on as Trujillo was read his rights through an interpreter. Trujillo’s wrists and ankles were shackled.
Trujillo, one of 41 people and entities charged in a U.S. corruption sweep that has rocked soccer worldwide, appeared in federal court in Orlando, Florida. A magistrate judge ordered him held pending his transfer to Brooklyn, New York, where the cases against officials were first brought, and a possible bond hearing to be held there.
FIFA is in the throes of an unprecedented crisis with criminal investigations into the sport under way in the United States and Switzerland. Soccer bosses from across South and Central America, including Trujillo, were among 16 people charged on Thursday by U.S. prosecutors with bribery and kickback schemes amounting to more than $200 million for marketing and broadcast rights to tournaments and matches. The total number of indictments is now 41 in a probe spanning dozens of countries.
For more on this story check out the detailed report from Reuters.
Seems a little dramatic. Glad to know the FBI is all over FIFA but not keeping track of the real threats.
That’s not really a fair assessment… The FBI has lots of people handling lots of areas. Some of their financial crimes people are the ones all over FIFA. And they should be–that corruption is affecting lots of people, many of whom are like this judge and are profiteering when their relatively-poor countries could use that income.
Okay, point taken. But I do think that the FBI is falling short on the big stuff within our boarders. And shackles? I only think you really need that if the person is resisting arrest. It does not sound like that was the case.
Boarders….meaning persons paying room and board, or borders???? Genius!
That is crazy. I wonder how often someone gets arrested on a Disney Cruise. I remember when the crew member got arrested for beating up an 11 year old girl.
The instant I heard that a FIFA official got arrested on the cruise ship at Port Canaveral I hoped it was on the Dream………
I was on this cruise. The arrest was very subtle and we didn’t know it happened until reading the news later. But it explained a few weird things, like why we docked so early that day. Or why we came to a dead stop in the water on our sea day. Or why we could see tons of ships, including USCG, off in the distance on our sea day.
Omg!!! I was on that sailing and it does all make sense now!!! Wow!!!
Was Mickey dressed as a FBI agent? I’m sure he’ll have a wonderful and magical day in Club-Fed! lol