The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977
This Act was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on December 19,1977 and it's primary objective was to forestall the bribery of top government and organizational officials in the form of personal payments and rewards.
The Security and Exchange Commision (SEC) and the Department of Justice are both responsible for enforcing this law.
FIFA
In 2011, Phaedra Al-Majid, who was part of the successful 2022 Qatari World Cup Bid, came forward as a whistle-blower. She claimed that Qatar paid $1.5 Million to African Football Confederation president Issa Hayatou, Ivory Coast Fifa member Jacques Anouma and Nigeria's suspended official Amos Adamu to vote for Qatar. All three denied the allegations. She later stated that she had fabricated her claims for media attention.Al-Majid co-operated with the Garcia Report. In November 2014, she stated that she was coerced into withdrawing her allegations as she feared for her safety and due to her lack of legal representation.
Laws used in charging
The Department of Justice has not charged anybody at FIFA with bribery: federal bribery laws cover only payments to government officials. Prosecutors have instead alleged racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) Act, which was intended for use against the Mafia.In addition, officials have been charged with violations of the Travel Act. The relevant part of the law essentially says that it is illegal to engage in interstate or foreign travel, or use the mails or "any facility in interstate commerce" to promote, manage, establish or carry on an illegal activity. That activity can be illegal under either federal or state law. Bribery is definitely included on the list of what is considered an illegal activity under the Travel Act. Any relevant transaction, even if it is only tangentially related to America, can be targeted. In one instance, a representative of First Caribbean International Bank in the Bahamas flew to New York to pick up a cheque for $250,000 (the alleged bribe) from the bribe recipient to transport it safely back to the defendant's bank account.