American Huckster - Mary Papenfuss - Bog

He was the middle-class Jewish kid from Queens, New York, who rose from local youth soccer leagues to the heights of FIFA, becoming a larger-than-life, jet-setting buccaneer?and the most notorious FBI informant in sports history. For years, Chuck Blazer skimmed millions from FIFA, stashing his money in offshore accounts and real estate holdings. He leveraged his relationships with the likes of Vladimir Putin, Hillary Clinton, and Nelson Mandela to increase his influence with the mandarins of global soccer?most notably Sepp Blatter, FIFA's longtime godfather.Once Blatter tapped Blazer to be the first American in almost fifty years to sit on FIFA's executive committee, the erstwhile accountant steadily accumulated money and power?until 2011 when the FBI and IRS nabbed Blazer for fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion. In exchange for immunity, Blazer agreed to let the Feds install a microphone in his key chain to entrap his larcenous band of brothers?leading to the shocking arrest and indictment of eighteen FIFA officials for racketeering and bribery.American Huckster is the surreal tale of this astonishing character and the scandal that rocked the world.