FBI Investigates Argentine Football Association for Suspected Money Laundering

Federal prosecutors in the United States have initiated testimony collection regarding the financial operations of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) within US jurisdiction, according to the Argentine newspaper La Nación.

Investigators from the US Department of Justice aim to understand how the AFA, led by Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia, conducted its financial dealings inside the United States, specifically how hundreds of millions of dollars moved through the American financial system and whether any of these transactions involved crimes under US law.

One of the key participants in these sessions was businessman Guillermo Tofoni. The meeting took place last week via a video conferencing platform similar to Zoom and lasted three hours, as confirmed by the newspaper.

The meeting involved federal prosecutors and FBI agents based in Washington, D.C., and Miami. They are examining whether certain operations related to the AFA constitute offenses such as money laundering or fraud through the US banking system.

La Nación learned that US investigators are seeking witnesses with direct knowledge of events during the tenures of Tapia and Pablo Toviggino, who managed the AFA. They are also investigating the company Tour Prod Inter LLC, owned by theatrical producer Javier Faroni, which handled the collection of commercial contract revenues for the AFA abroad.

Among potential witnesses, the Department of Justice is considering summoning former officials from Javier Milei’s government who had access to sensitive information about the AFA or who oversaw or supervised its operations in recent years.

The initial outlines of the US investigation began to take shape in 2025. At least three federal prosecutors are managing the case: Patrick Gosho and Christopher Ting, both working in Washington, D.C., and Michael Berger in the Southern District of Florida.

These prosecutors have concentrated their efforts on the activities of Tour Prod Inter LLC since it became the agent responsible for collecting funds from contracts the AFA signed with sponsors and other companies.

Specifically, they are tracing the flow of money managed by Javier Faroni and his wife, Erika Gillet, through the US financial system.

Documents obtained by La Nación reveal that Tour Prod Inter LLC handled at least $260 million in revenues from the AFA through accounts in five American banks.

Records indicate that only a portion of these funds corresponded to clear operational expenses of the AFA.

The investigation shows that approximately $57 million was transferred to various companies and beneficiaries without clear economic justification in the documents.

The transactions also included transfers amounting to millions of dollars to companies that reportedly did not provide corresponding services and were controlled by individuals receiving social welfare benefits, according to the records reviewed by the newspaper.

The documents further disclose transfers to two companies linked to Pablo Toviggino and members of his family, as well as payments benefiting his partner and relatives of a person described as the "spiritual guide" of the Argentine national team.

The newspaper notes that US authorities' interest in the case began in September 2024, when the Argentine Ministry of Security shared information with US officials regarding suspicions related to the AFA. However, at that time, the FBI considered the data insufficient to open a criminal investigation.