José Hawilla

José Hawilla
Born	(1943-07-11)11 July 1943 São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
Died	25 May 2018(2018-05-25) (aged 74) São Paulo, Brazil
Occupation	Businessman
Criminal charge(s)	Money laundering, racketeering, and wire fraud
Criminal status	Guilty plea

José Hawilla (11 July 1943 – 25 May 2018) was a Brazilian businessman, the owner and founder of Traffic Group, a multinational sports marketing conglomerate.

Hawilla was born in São José do Rio Preto to parents of Lebanese origin, in the state of São Paulo, and began his career as a sports journalist.[1] In 1980, Hawilla founded the Traffic Group, Brazil’s largest sports marketing company.[2] He died in a São Paulo hospital on 25 May 2018 at the age of 74 of respiratory failure.[3] He had been ill with pulmonary hypertension, fibrosis, emphysema and throat cancer.[4]

2015 FIFA corruption case

Hawilla pleaded guilty on 12 December 2014 to "corruption charges including racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering", in connection with what has become the 2015 FIFA corruption case. Hawilla agreed to forfeit $151 million, of which $25 million was paid in December 2014.[5]

In popular culture

Argentine actor Jean Pierre Noher portrayed Hawilla in the 2020 Amazon Prime Video original series El Presidente.

References

1. Rohter, Larry (14 March 2001). "Huge Soccer Scandal Taints National Obsession of Brazil". NY Times. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
2. "The Rights Explosion". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
3. Editorial, Reuters. "Jose Hawilla, key witness in FIFA trial, dies aged 74". Reuters. Retrieved 27 May 2018. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
4. Knoploch, Carol (25 May 2018). "J. Hawilla, principal delator do Caso Fifa, morre em São Paulo" [J. Hawilla, chief informant of the Fifa Case, dies in São Paulo]. O Globo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 25 May 2018.
5. Halliday, Josh (27 May 2015). "Fifa corruption crisis: the key figures in the controversy". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2015.