Michael Lawrence Brannon, a U.S. businessman who previously held an ownership stake and board position in the group that managed Club Sport Herediano, has pleaded guilty in Texas to operating an illegal gambling business and agreed to forfeit $25 million in proceeds. Brannon, widely known here in Costa Rica as Scott Brannon, admitted to one federal count of operating an illegal gambling business.
The conduct took place from no later than August 2013 through April 23, 2021, in the Eastern District of Texas and elsewhere. A federal judge accepted the amended plea agreement on February 18, 2026. Brannon was sentenced to one year of probation, with the first six months to be served under home confinement and supervised by U.S. probation authorities.
The agreement allows him to serve the remaining six months of probation outside the United States if he successfully completes the home-confinement period. He was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and a mandatory $100 court assessment. The largest financial penalty is the forfeiture of $25 million, which Brannon acknowledged represented proceeds from the prohibited gambling operation. The forfeiture is separate from the fine and is not described as restitution or a tax payment.
Under the payment schedule approved by the court, Brannon was required to pay an initial $7 million within seven days of sentencing. Another $6 million is due within 30 days after he completes home confinement.Two more payments of $6 million each must then be made at 90-day intervals, bringing the total forfeiture to $25 million. Brannon was connected to Herediano through Fuerza Herediana S.A.D., the company that took over the administration of the Costa Rican first-division club in 2013.
Club materials from 2016 listed him as a member of the board. Former Herediano president David Patey later publicly identified Brannon as a shareholder who held an equal stake alongside other members of the ownership group. Brannon maintained a relatively low public profile but appeared at championship celebrations and other major club events. He also accompanied a Herediano delegation to the Concacaf Champions League draw in Miami.
The U.S. criminal case does not accuse Club Sport Herediano, Fuerza Herediana or any current club official of participating in the gambling operation. The publicly available plea agreement identifies operating an illegal gambling business as the offense to which Brannon pleaded guilty. It does not show a guilty plea to tax fraud.
Brannon must now complete the remaining terms of his probation, comply with the conditions of home confinement and finish the court-ordered forfeiture payments.
