José Hawilla
José Hawilla | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 July 1943 São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil |
| Died | 25 May 2018 (aged 74) São Paulo, Brazil |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Criminal charge(s) | Money laundering, racketeering, and wire fraud |
| Criminal status | Guilty plea |
José Hawilla (11 July 1943 – 25 May 2018) was a Brazilian businessman, the owner and founder of Traffic Group, a multinational sports marketing conglomerate.
Hawilla was born in São José do Rio Preto to parents of Lebanese origin, in the state of São Paulo, and began his career as a sports journalist. In 1980, Hawilla founded the Traffic Group, Brazil’s largest sports marketing company. He died in a São Paulo hospital on 25 May 2018 at the age of 74 of respiratory failure. He had been ill with pulmonary hypertension, fibrosis, emphysema and throat cancer.