Sepp Blatter hires top US lawyer for FIFA corruption probe

FIFA boss Sepp Blatter and secretary-general Jerome Valcke have hired big-time lawyers as big-time criminal charges continue to rock world football's governing body.

Blatter recently retained Richard Cullen, the chairman of the law firm McGuireWoods and a former US federal prosecutor, said a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, Blatter's top lieutenant, Valcke, has hired prominent New York defence attorney Barry Berke, a second source said.

Cullen comes with white-shoe credentials and friends in high places: He is the chairman of the law firm McGuireWoods and is a former US federal prosecutor. Perhaps more important, Cullen is a close associate of FBI director James Comey, whose agency has led the investigation, including within FIFA’s powerful executive committee.

Nine FIFA members were among 14 people indicted last month on charges of wire fraud, money laundering and racketeering. Among those charged were several long-serving members of FIFA’s executive committee, which the 79-year-old Blatter chairs. On June 2, four days after he was re-elected to a fifth term, Blatter announced he would step down as FIFA president, but has yet to step aside.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch unsealed the indictment in a packed conference room in the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office on May 27, shortly after a series of arrests and raids by Swiss police in Zurich. Lynch indicated that more charges may come.

Blatter, who has reportedly also retained top Zurich lawyer Lorenz Erni, was not named in the indictment, but the document describes transactions such as an alleged $10 million bribe that moved through FIFA accounts.

“Richard Cullen is a very experienced and well-respected attorney who knows his way around the courthouse and the halls of government,” said Daily News legal analyst Tom Harvey. “Blatter scored in my mind by retaining him. But the charges in this case are serious and the facts are the facts.”

Blatter also faces legal exposure in Switzerland, where FIFA is based, and where Swiss prosecutor Michael Lauber said Wednesday that investigators have identified 53 suspicious bank transactions and could summon Blatter and FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke for questioning. According to reports, Valcke has added his own U.S. counsel, New York defense attorney Barry Berke.

Prosecutors in the US have issued extradition orders for the defendants named in the indictment and have said they expect more arrests as they continue their investigation. According to the Eastern District indictment, prosecutors have so far uncovered $150 million in bribes stretching over more than two decades.