A widening investigation alleges that millions of dollars were fraudulently diverted from the Argentine Football Association (AFA) through a complex web of shell companies and financial intermediaries spanning Argentina, the United States, and Spain. The scheme, reportedly unfolding during a period of economic instability in Argentina, centers on allegedly fabricated invoices and illicit money transfers facilitated by individuals connected to top AFA officials under the leadership of Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia and Pablo Toviggino. Authorities are now scrutinizing the role of several companies registered in Florida and a network of informal exchange houses in Buenos Aires,known as “cuevas,” in the alleged operation.
A complex network of shell companies, fraudulent invoices, and financial intermediaries with connections in Argentina, the United States, and Spain allegedly allowed high-ranking officials within the Argentine Football Association (AFA) to siphon millions of dollars from the organization’s funds during the administration of Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia and Pablo Toviggino.
The scheme involved the use of companies established in Miami that existed only on paper, issuing bogus invoices for “logistics” and other purported services never actually provided to the AFA. Under the guise of global sponsorship contracts, the AFA directed intermediary companies – such as TourProdEnter LLC, owned by Javier Faroni – to transfer millions to these phantom firms. The money then allegedly flowed back into the country through a network of “cuevas” – informal money exchange houses – in Buenos Aires, which distributed funds in cash.
According to reports, the central figures in the operation were AFA treasurer and Tapia’s right-hand man, Toviggino, and former president of the AFA Federal Council, Juan Pablo Beacon. Both allegedly issued instructions, coordinated with the “cueveros” and involved businesspeople, and even drafted some of the fraudulent invoices.
The alleged scheme unfolded during a period of currency controls and a significant gap between the official and unofficial exchange rates for the U.S. dollar. It encompassed multiple shell companies, including SCH Consulting Group LLC, MS Innovation Tech Corp, MLS Global Trading Corp, Arcofisa International Corp, and Samtak LLC. All five were registered in Florida, listing the same legal address: office 1130 “A” at 848 Brickell Avenue in Miami, according to Florida state business records.
These five shell companies issued eleven invoices totaling $3,745,090. Prior to this, the AFA instructed intermediaries to make payments in exchange for vague services such as “digital marketing campaigns on the internet” (Samtak and MS Innovation), “outsourcing and administrative process consulting” (Arcofisa), and “consulting services” (SCH Consulting and MLS Global). The invoices lacked standard corporate transparency requirements, such as the number of hours worked or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
When asked for comment, Tapia reportedly criticized the press, stating, “There are two different realities, that of the media and that of the people,” from the resort town of Mar del Plata. He downplayed the reports of fund transfers involving him and Toviggino, saying, “I don’t pay attention to the media,” and asserted that Argentine soccer fans support him. “My legs hurt from standing and sitting for photos – my knees are a mess,” he added.
A review of the invoices issued by the five shell companies revealed unusual patterns, beyond the shared Miami address. For example, the visual format and spelling errors were consistent across multiple invoices. The invoices from MS Innovation Tech, MLS Global Trading, Arcofisa, and SCH Consulting shared a nearly identical structure, suggesting a single template was used. Those behind the operation even made revealing mistakes, writing “Al payment” instead of “All payment” in the payment section of various invoices.
The invoices were also issued in a concentrated timeframe. In January 2022, the AFA received invoices from three of these companies – MS Innovation, SCH Consulting, and MLS Global – within just four days, totaling $1.2 million.
Further inconsistencies were found in the invoices. In the case of three issued by MS Innovation Tech Corp, the “invoice” number decreased over time, rather than increasing. For example, invoice number 241 was issued on January 10, 2022, and number 268 on January 31, but number 237 was issued on April 6.
Behind four of these shell companies (MS Innovation Tech, MLS Global Trading, Arcofisa, and SCH Consulting) is reportedly Diego Martín Schrager, a 48-year-old Argentine with an address on Suipacha Street in Buenos Aires. He has presented himself as an “entrepreneur” and “merchant” in public documents. He faces credit and commercial issues – currently listed as “situation 3,” indicating “problems/medium risk” – and has previously been listed as “uncollectible” (situation 5), according to records.
In Argentina, Schrager is linked to a company with a similar name to one established in Miami – Arcofisa SA – and also presides over the Libertador General San Martín Housing, Credit and Consumer Cooperative Limited, located on the 7th floor of Reconquista Street 144 in Buenos Aires, where it allegedly functioned as a “cueva,” conducting operations with Bybit Fintech.
Attempts to contact Schrager for comment were unsuccessful.
Behind the fifth company, Samtak LLC, is another Argentine, 46-year-old Darío Francisco Samaniego, with a fiscal address in Banfield, Lomas de Zamora. He also identifies as an “entrepreneur” and is a shareholder in Gurruchaga Inversiones SA, alongside Alan Esteban Rasumoff.
Samaniego’s online profile is inconsistent with that of an international consultant capable of billing the AFA millions. He also appears as manager of Green Bull FL LLC in Florida, but posted a job search stating he was a “fruits and vegetables” worker at a Jumbo supermarket, seeking a position as a “stocker, administrative assistant, driver, or operator” with availability “any time, including weekends.”
Contacted for comment, Samaniego responded to an email asking for clarification on his role in Samtak LLC, but did not reply to subsequent messages.
Schrager and Samaniego are not well-known figures in Buenos Aires’ financial district, and may not be the final links in the chain. At least four additional “cuevas” were reportedly involved in moving AFA funds, located on Corrientes Avenue – three at number 456 in the Safico building, and one at number 327. These locations maintained frequent contact with Juan Pablo Beacon.
Beacon, then executive president of the AFA Federal Council and Toviggino’s deputy, allegedly coordinated the creation, sending, and payment of the fraudulent invoices issued by the five Miami shell companies. He worked with Marcelo Fabián Ramón Saracco, from Santiago del Estero, and his Spanish partner, Israel Amoedo, the owners of Odeoma SL, a company contracted by the AFA to manage funds from sponsors worldwide.
The payments were structured to appear legitimate. In late 2021, the AFA Executive Committee announced sponsorship and image rights contracts with Bybit Fintech Ltd, Genius Sports Technologies Ltd, and One Football Gmbh. In all of these agreements, Odeoma assumed the role of collection agent, retaining 30% of the revenue as fees.
Beacon allegedly ordered the payment of the fraudulent invoices from the Miami shell companies within the contracts with Bybit Fintech Ltd and Genius Sports Technologies Ltd, with Saracco and Amoedo advancing the operation through Odeoma SL’s brand, “Gold Medal Sports.”
The final step took place in Buenos Aires, with the “cueveros” of the city moving cash through the streets after receiving their percentage of the funds.
