A FIFA employee has been taken into custody in Miami, facing grave allegations of engaging with an underage boy in sexual activities, as per multiple reports. According to NBC Miami, the individual in question, Jack Coles, was detained near FIFA's Coral Gables offices at a hotel by Homeland Security Investigations agents.
Arrested on suspicion of illicit behavior with a minor, Coles, who is affiliated with FIFA Sound, a division tasked with organizing music for the organization's events, was immediately suspended from his duties at FIFA. Facing charges associated with the enticement of a minor for sexual activity, Coles' actions are alleged to be both personal and detached from his professional obligations at FIFA. "FIFA is aware of ongoing legal proceedings in Miami. The alleged offenses are serious and of a personal matter with no link to his work at FIFA," said the global soccer authority in a statement obtained by NBC Miami.
The situation began to unfold when Coles met a 14-year-old boy through a dating app during a trip from Zurich to Miami. The interaction that was initially fostered on the app Grindr continued on Instagram, despite the boy informing Coles, "I’m 16 btw," under Florida's age of consent. According to details from the complaint cited by Local 10, Coles is accused of engaging in sex acts with the youth after giving him a White Claw hard seltzer.
Coles, reportedly a British citizen residing in Switzerland, attempted to reestablish contact with the boy, aiming for another encounter. Planning his second trip to South Florida on February 1, he communicated his intent, "so I see u." Posing as the teenager after Coles had set a meeting place, federal agents and local police awaited him, arresting Coles as he opened the hotel room's door "naked, except for a shirt," as detailed by Local 10.
As for his current status, Coles had been in custody at the Broward County Main Jail, and no updates on his case status have been immediately provided in the federal court records.
