GKG Law’s Oliver Krischik Quoted in New York Times Article "Mexico’s World Cup Captain Is on a U.S. Blacklist"
The New York Times
By Tariq Panja
Rafael Márquez, one of the best-known stars on Mexico’s World Cup soccer team, is a standout of the tournament in Russia. But it has nothing to do with his prowess on the field.
Márquez, 39, is on a United States Treasury Department blacklist of people it says have helped launder money for drug cartels. His inclusion on the list prohibits American individuals, businesses and banks from having anything to do with him.
So Márquez does not drink from the same branded water bottles as his teammates or wear the same uniform at practices. Instead of being planted in front of sponsors’ logos at every opportunity, as is normally the case for prominent players, “Rafa,” as he is known, is kept away.
If he is the best player in a game, he most assuredly will not be named the Budweiser Man of the Match. His lodging is carefully scrutinized to prevent him from staying in places that have any American connections, even if it means getting him a room away from the team. And however hard he works on the field, Márquez has agreed to not get paid.
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Legal experts not involved in the case said some of what FIFA and the federation have done may be out of an abundance of caution, as the Treasury rules are subject to wide interpretation and it would not be worth the risk to violate them.
“The penalties are very severe for this type of thing,” said Oliver Krischik, a lawyer at GKG Law who focuses on Treasury sanctions. Companies that violate the regulations, even unintentionally, face fines up to nearly $1.5 million per violation, while willful breaches can lead to a penalty of up to $10 million and a maximum of 30 years in jail for individuals who knowingly break the rules.
Krischik described the regulations as “gray.”
The full article may be read here.
