I had to go through FCPA training for my employer a while ago, so take all this with a grain of salt:

As I understand it, the FCPA covers U.S. companies and their foreign affiliates and companies/organizations that trade securities in the U.S. If any employee or agent of such an organization bribes a foreign official, the DOJ or the SEC can go after them. "Foreign official" is defined really broadly as well. It includes foreign government employees, but also employees of international agencies and employees of government-managed industries (like doctors working for a state university hospital.) Also, the payment has to be illegal and not just "grease" money to speed up an ordinary task.

Again, I'm not a lawyer, but the DOJ might be able to draw a line from various U.S. individuals to various FIFA board members or from US Soccer to FIFA itself depending on how broad the definitions are. If they get that second one, everybody on FIFA's board is screwed.

The details don't actually matter. The impression is that doing business in the US is risky for your personal safety. Look at Bitcoin start-ups. Look at Silent Circle who have moved to Switzerland. The uncertainty of the rule of law and perception of draconian punishment will hurt the US economy in the long-run.

If someone has reason to be scared of being next in line after an organization that has apparently committed massive fraud affecting a large number of people for decades, I'm quite fine with that someone staying out of the US. IMHO, Silent Circle and Bitcoin startups are really a separate issue.

> Some combination of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (where a company can be prosecuted in the US for bribing officials abroad) mixed with RICO.

RICO is cited in the indictment, along with wire fraud and money laundering statutes; FCPA is not.