Aaron Davidson

Aaron Davidson (born April 21, 1971) is an American lawyer and businessman, who has been director of business development of Plant the Future, a biophilic design firm and group of botanical art galleries, since early 2016.

Aaron Davidson
Born (1971-04-21) April 21, 1971[1]
Bell County, Texas, US
NationalityAmerican
Alma materEmory University (1993)[2]
Southern Methodist University (1996)[3]
Spouse(s)
Michelle Dryjansky Guss
​
​
(m. after 2005)​
[4]
Parent(s)Jaime Abraham Davidson
Ana Rosentein

Davidson is the former chairman of the board of governors of the North American Soccer League,[5] and former president of Traffic Sports USA.

Davidson was one of 14 suspects indicted[6][7] and detained in the 2015 FIFA corruption case.[8] He was banned by the FIFA Ethics Committee.[9] In May 2015, Davidson pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn Federal Court and was released on $5 million bond.[10] Subsequently, in October 2016, Davidson pleaded guilty and forfeited $507,900 [11] with sentencing set for October 3, 2019.[12]

Early life

Aaron Davidson was born on April 21, 1971,[1] in Bell County, Texas, the son of a Costa Rican father, Jaime Abraham Davidson, and a Mexican mother, Ana Rosentein.[1] Both of his parents are first generation immigrants, and their parents are of eastern European Jewish ancestry. He describes himself as a "Tex-Mex-Costa Rican Jew".[13]

Davidson was educated at Emory University and the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University.[14]

Career

Davidson is a licensed attorney in Texas and New York. His career has been entirely in the legal and commercial aspects of sports management.[15]

Personal life

Davidson was married in 2005 to Michelle Dryjansky Guss, in Dallas, Texas, and she is a Mexican-born Jew, who is an attorney in Miami, Florida.[4]

References
  1. Texas Birth Index (2002). "U.S. Public Records Index". Family Search. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  2. Rangus, Eric, "Kicking Grass: How Atlanta’s rebooted pro team is bringing soccer back", Emory Magazine, Summer 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  3. "Southern Methodist University Eighty-First Annual Commencement Convocation" May 18, 1996, p. 18. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  4. Texas Marriage Index (2002). "U.S. Public Records Index". Family Search. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  5. "Kick Starter: Aaron Davidson re-establishes pro soccer in Florida". Florida Trend. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  6. Blake, J. Mike, and Andrew Kenney, "RailHawks owner Aaron Davidson indicted in FIFA soccer corruption case", The News & Observer, May 27, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  7. Buchanan, Larry, Tom Giratikanon and Karen Youris, "How the Indicted Officials Fit Into FIFA", New York Times, May 26, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  8. Halliday, Josh (May 27, 2015). "Fifa corruption crisis: the key figures in the controversy". The Guardian. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  9. "Independent Ethics Committee bans Aaron Davidson from football-related activities". FIFA. May 28, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  10. O'Keeffe, Michael (May 29, 2015). "FIFA scandal defendant enters not guilty plea in Brooklyn". Daily News. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  11. Raymond, Nate (October 21, 2016). "Ex-marketing executive pleads guilty in U.S. bribery probe of FIFA". Reuters. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  12. "FIFA Prosecution, United States v. Napout, et al. and Related Cases". United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  13. Kaufman, Michelle (May 29, 2015). "Miami soccer broker's fall shocks those around him". Miami Herald. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  14. "Aaron Davidson - Lawyer Profile". martindale. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  15. "Speakers 2015". Sissummit. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.


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