Workman and third

[Cl11234566]

LISBON, Portugal -- Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is under criminal investigation in Portugal for suspected tax fraud and money laundering, according to U.S. court documents obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. Portuguese tax authorities suspect 7.4 million euros ($10.1 million) that was transferred from Portugal to a bank in Miami between 2003 and 2008, when Scolari was coach of Portugals national team, were local income that the Brazilian did not declare. A U.S. district judge last week granted Portugals request for a series of Miami bank accounts to be examined, Florida court documents show. An assistant U.S. attorney was placed in charge of collecting the evidence. Taxe fraud and money laundering together carry a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison in Portugal, and the investigation is an unwelcome distraction for the Brazil coach as his country prepares to host the World Cup. The 65-year-old Scolari denied any wrongdoing after the court documents were first reported Monday by OffshoreAlert, a Florida-based site specializing in fraud investigations. "I have correctly filed all my tax returns. In all the countries where Ive worked, Ive always declared my income," Scolari said in a statement sent to the AP in Sao Paulo late Tuesday. "If anything is wrong, its not my fault. I hope justice gets to the bottom of the facts." Officials at the Portuguese Football Federation, which employed Scolari as national team coach, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. FIFA had no comment on the investigation. FIFAs code of ethics can be applied to conduct "that damages the integrity and reputation of football and in particular to illegal, immoral and unethical behaviour." Sanctions for breaching the code range from a warning to a ban from any football-related activity. Portuguese investigators want to know who were the "real beneficiaries" of numerous payments made into the Miami accounts over the six-year period. The money went to accounts held by Netherlands-based Flamboyant Sports C.V., London-based Chaterella Investors Limited and Taliston Financial Corp., a British Virgin Islands company, according to prosecutors. Those companies owned, at various times, non-exclusive rights to the use of Scolaris name, image and voice, they say. Transfers were also made to Miami accounts in the name of Scolari himself and of his son Leonardo. The investigators suspect Scolari used those companies and bank accounts to hide income from the Portuguese tax authorities. Portuguese investigators sent their initial request for assistance to the U.S. Justice Department in Washington in late 2012. It was not clear why the request was submitted to a judge only last week. The judge endorsed the request last Thursday. The Portuguese attorney generals office acknowledged in an email to the AP that the Department for Criminal Investigation and Prosecution has opened an inquiry into Scolari, but it provided no further details. In Portugal, ongoing investigations are subject to a judicial secrecy law which forbids the release of details of the case. Scolari, who is Brazilian, led his countrys national team to the World Cup title in 2002. He will again coach the Brazilian team at this years World Cup. He has also coached in Japan and the Middle East. He was coach of Premier League club Chelsea between 2008-09. Scolari was Portugals most successful national team coach. He guided the Portuguese to the final of the 2004 European Championship and to the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup. Along the way, he gave Cristiano Ronaldo his national team debut and made him captain. To help pay the salary of a World Cup-winning coach -- and to prevent him from being poached by other clubs and countries which offered him contracts, including England -- the Portuguese federation signed multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals, including with Nike and two Portuguese banks. Scolari, whose salary in Portugal was never made public, appeared in advertising campaigns. Portugals government has set up special investigative teams and increased penalties in an effort to crack down on tax evasion. The country needed a 78 billion euro ($107 billion) bailout in 2011 after high debts pushed it to the brink of bankruptcy. In neighbouring Spain, where authorities have also targeted tax evaders, officials have brought tax fraud charges against Lionel Messi and his club, Barcelona. ------ AP Sports Writers Tales Azzoni in Sao Paulo and Graham Dunbar in Geneva, and Associated Press writers Alan Clendenning in Madrid, Spain, and Curt Anderson in Miami contributed to this report. Ahkello Witherspoon Super Bowl Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings, ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks. Moving up, from 10 to seven this week, the Pittsburgh Penguins have won seven straight despite a depleted lineup. Mike Person Super Bowl Jersey . Hes had three top-10 results this season and feels ready to put it all together and finally hoist a trophy at the top level. http://www.authenticsf49erspro.com/Jimm ... rs-jersey/. According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the Maple Leafs have trade offers on the table for the 26-year-old, but none have been deemed acceptable by the team. Tom Rathman Super Bowl Jersey .Pete Morelli said the back judge threw a flag on Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens on a pass to Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew in Dallas 24-20 wild-card win Sunday. But the head linesman said there wasnt enough contact and that Hitchens was face-guarding, which isnt a penalty in the NFL. Matt Breida Super Bowl Jersey .J. Hardy finally got in on the fun Saturday, against a likely opponent. BOSTON -- Mark Buehrle pitched 6 2-3 innings to earn his first win in almost two months and Dioner Navarro had three hits and three RBIs to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to their fifth consecutive victory, a 6-1 win over the slumping Boston Red Sox. Buehrle (11-7) allowed one run on six hits and a walk, striking out two to snap a six-game losing streak that matched the longest of his career. He had not won in nine starts since earning his ninth consecutive victory on June 1. Toronto has won eight of its last nine games and trails first-place Baltimore by 2 1-2 games. Brandon Workman (1-4) fell behind quickly after being called up from Triple-A to replace trade bait Jon Lester. The All-Star left-hander was originally scheduled to start for Boston, but he was scratched while his name is bandied about ahead of Thursdays trade deadline. As the Red Sox went down in the ninth, fans remaining from the sellout crowd chanted, "Jonny Lester!" Workman walked the first two batters in the game before they both came around to score. The Blue Jays added three unearned runs in the fifth inning on errors from Workman and third baseman Xander Bogaerts. The game marked a milestone in Bostons woeful World Series title defence, coming a day befoore the trade deadline and in the middle of a streak in which the Red Sox have lost eight of nine games, fallen into last place and dropped 13 games behind the East-leading Orioles.dddddddddddd After shipping Jake Peavy to San Francisco on Saturday, the Red Sox sent demoted starter Felix Doubront to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Lester, who is due to be a free agent, could follow him; so could John Lackey, who is scheduled to make the minimum next season. Reliever Andrew Miller struck out the side in the seventh inning in what could be his audition for a contender. TRAINERS ROOM Red Sox: Mike Napoli was back in the lineup, at designated hitter, after sitting out on Tuesday night with a swollen ring finger on his left hand. David Ortiz got the night off. Blue Jays: Infielder Brett Lawrie, on the disabled list since late June with a broken right index finger, could start rehab games this weekend. ON DECK Red Sox: Off Thursday before opening a three-game series with the Yankees. By the time New York gets to town, Boston could be without four-fifths of the starting rotation it started the season with. Blue Jays: Open a four-game series in Houston, with Drew Hutchinson (7-9) facing Jarred Cosart (9-7). ' ' '