Argentine Soccer Players File Lawsuit Over Alleged Real Estate Fraud
Seven athletes report losses exceeding two million dollars tied to a turnkey property investment scheme in Maryland.
A group of seven professional soccer players from Argentina filed a legal complaint alleging a multi-million-dollar real estate fraud involving properties located in Baltimore, Maryland. The affected athletes reportedly invested a combined total of $2,125,000 into a business venture that promised to purchase, remodel, and rent residential properties.
The investors involved in the legal action include prominent players such as Leonardo Jara, Ezequiel Cerutti, Lucas Rodríguez, Gonzalo Maroni, Juan Francisco Brunetta, Alejandro Gastón Mena, and Facundo Fraga. Additional private individuals also joined the complaint, bringing the total claimed losses to more than $2.6 million.
According to the judicial filing, the project was marketed as a turnkey investment model that guaranteed estimated annual returns ranging between 10% and 11%. Organizers allegedly built trust by hosting presentations in upscale hotels in La Plata and Puerto Madero, and by organizing site visits to the properties in the United States.
The scheme unraveled when the investors independently inspected the properties and discovered significant irregularities. Rather than fully functional rental units, participants reported finding abandoned buildings, structural damage, unfinished renovations, municipal fines, and substantial tax debts. Furthermore, rental payouts that had initially been distributed reportedly stopped between late 2023 and 2024.
The investigation is currently underway at the Functional Instruction Unit No. 3 in La Plata, overseen by prosecutor Gonzalo Petit Bosnic. Legal representation for the plaintiffs, attorney Ignacio Fernández Camillo, has requested various investigative steps, including witness testimonies, accounting audits, and the examination of corporate and tax records to trace the flow of funds.
The legal proceedings remain in the preliminary stages, and the allegations have not yet been proven in court. The judicial system will determine whether a fraudulent scheme took place, how the funds were managed, and what ultimately happened to the properties purchased overseas as the affected individuals seek to recover their lost capital.
Sources
- Siete futbolistas argentinos denuncian una estafa de más de US$ 2 millones en Estados Unidos diariopopular.com.ar
- La denuncia de seis jugadores argentinos por una presunta estafa millonaria en EE.UU todojujuy.com
- El calvario del uruguayo que vino de El Salvador y la Policía lo acusó de estafa por error montevideo.com.uy
- Abel Caballero arremete otra vez contra el PP: la Diputación «estafa» a Vigo abc.es
- Dos futbolistas con paso por Belgrano, Talleres e Instituto denunciaron una estafa millonaria eldoce.tv