PENALTY BOX

Pelé’s Son Gets 33 Years in Prison

For laundering drug money.

Edinho didn’t quite manage to follow in the footsteps of his famous father, soccer legend Pelé. Though he was a goalkeeper for Santos, his father’s old club, Edinho developed another career that had nothing to do with his ball skills. A Brazilian judge has sentenced him to 33 years behind bars for laundering money obtained through drug trafficking. Edinho, whose real name is Edson Cholbi do Nascimento, was first arrested on drug-trafficking charges in 2005 and reportedly has connections with a notorious drug dealer in Santos. His father has stood by him throughout his legal troubles and said in 2006, “God willing, justice will be done. There is not a shred of evidence against my son.”