While the Argentine national team pursues the dream of back-to-back titles at the 2026 World Cup, all the more so after the agonizing victory over Egypt, a parallel and far less friendly investigation is moving forward in the United States into the accounts of the Argentine Football Association (AFA).
'According to the newspaper La Nación, federal prosecutors and FBI agents have begun taking testimony about the financial operations of the entity headed by Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia on U.S. soil.
Another 57 million dollars were allegedly funneled to various companies whose origin and destination are still under analysis by investigators.
One of the most significant steps so far was the statement by businessman Guillermo Tofoni, the original complainant regarding the AFA’s financial structure in the United States.
In addition, the Department of Justice is considering summoning former officials from Javier Milei’s government.
While the Argentine national team pursues the dream of back-to-back titles at the 2026 World Cup, all the more so after the agonizing victory over Egypt, a parallel and far less friendly investigation is moving forward in the United States into the accounts of the Argentine Football Association (AFA).
'According to the newspaper La Nación, federal prosecutors and FBI agents have begun taking testimony about the financial operations of the entity headed by Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia on U.S. soil. The investigators' objective is to reconstruct how the AFA has moved hundreds of millions of dollars through the banking system of that country and determine whether any of those operations may have constituted crimes under U.S. jurisdiction, such as money laundering or fraud.'
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At the center of the case file, which is in the preliminary investigation phase, appears TourProdEnter LLC, the company of theatrical producer Javier Faroni which, together with his wife Erica Gillette, managed during the last few years the collection of AFA's international commercial contracts, including agreements with brands such as Adidas and Warner.
According to banking documentation reviewed by La Nación, the company moved at least 260 million dollars through accounts opened at five U.S. financial institutions—Citibank, Synovus, Bank of America, JP Morgan, and PNC Bank—although only part of those funds can be directly linked to identifiable operating expenses of the entity. Another 57 million dollars were allegedly funneled to various companies whose origin and destination are still under analysis by investigators.
The preliminary investigation, which began to take shape during 2025, is in the hands of at least three federal prosecutors specializing in financial crimes: Patrick Gushue and Christopher Ting, based in Washington, DC, and Michael Berger, from the Southern District of Florida.
One of the most significant steps so far was the statement by businessman Guillermo Tofoni, the original complainant regarding the AFA’s financial structure in the United States. In addition, the Department of Justice is considering summoning former officials from Javier Milei’s government.
Alert
The case did not arise out of nowhere: it is preceded by a alert that the then Argentine Ministry of Security, under the leadership of Patricia Bullrich, sent to the U.S. authorities in September 2024 regarding financial movements considered suspicious linked to the AFA.
At that time, the FBI assessed that there was not enough evidence to open a criminal investigation, but the situation changed at the beginning of 2026, when the case file grew with new banking documentation and complaints promoted by the aforementioned Tofoni.
The temporal coincidence is unavoidable: while the investigation was taking shape, Tapia remained in the United States closely following the National Team in the tournament, authorized to travel by the Argentine courts after posting a multimillion-dollar bond in the case he faces in his country for the alleged improper withholding of pension contributions and taxes.
