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Guatemala football official released on $4mn bond in NY

Executive Secretary of the Football Federation of Guatemala, Hector Trujillo, is pictured during a hearing at the Constitutional Court in Guatemala City on March 3, 2015

A top official in Guatemala's Football Federation was released on bail in New York Thursday after agreeing to a $4 million bond and pleading not guilty in the FIFA corruption scandal. Hector Trujillo, 62, agreed to give up his passport, stay in an approved residence in New Jersey, not travel more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the federal court in Brooklyn and subject himself to electronic monitoring. "You are now approved. You can be released," Judge Robert Levy told the defendant, who had to prove he could deposit $650,000 in cash. He was arrested on December 4 while on a family cruise in Florida and was charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering. On December 30, he pleaded not guilty to the eight charges against him. He is suspected of taking bribes linked to the sale of marketing rights for FIFA fixtures in Central America. Dressed in a brown shirt and blue pants, the gray-haired Trujillo turned around at one point during proceedings and blew kisses to relatives in the gallery. US prosecutors have charged 39 people, including former FIFA executives and two sports marketing companies, in the sweeping corruption scandal that has rocked world soccer. So far, 12 individuals have pleaded guilty, agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors in the hope of a reduced sentence. The spiraling scandal has seen outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter suspended for ethics violations. Blatter and his one-time heir apparent Michel Platini were both banned from football for eight years in December by FIFA judges over a disputed two million Swiss franc ($2 million) payment. Blatter is also the target of a probe by Swiss prosecutors over possible "criminal mismanagement" during his tenure at FIFA.