4 July 16-22, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ FLORIDA MONEYBALL THE MIAMI COMPANY AT THE CENTER OF ARGENTINA’S FBI SOCCER PROBE. BY NATASHA YEE A s FIFA fans fill stadiums across North America, a strange financial mystery is unfolding behind the scenes — one involving a Florida LLC, hundreds of millions of dollars, and the Ar- gentine Football Association. Federal prosecutors in South Florida are re- portedly examining more than $300 million in transactions tied to the reigning World Cup champion’s commercial operations, alleging money laundering, wire fraud, and tax evasion. According to reporting by Spanish sports newspaper Diario AS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors have opened an investigation into the financial operations of the Argentine Football Association through a Florida-based company that allegedly handled hundreds of millions of dollars in international sponsor- ship revenue. The reported investigation centers on TourProdEnter LLC (incorporated in Florida in August 2021), which allegedly acted as the collection agent for the AFA’s international commercial contracts. According to Argentine newspaper La Nación, investigators are examining whether transactions moving through the U.S. finan- cial system—including sponsorship payments from companies such as Adidas and Warner Bros. Discovery—could constitute crimes un- der U.S. law, including money laundering or bank fraud. Prosecutors are reportedly re- viewing transfers exceeding $300 million. The investigation reportedly began taking shape in 2025 and involves prosecutors in Washington, D.C., as well as the Southern District of Florida. One of the prosecutors identified by Argentine media as Michael Berger previously helped secure the Miami money-laundering conviction of former Ec- uadorian comptroller Carlos Ramón Pólit. According to the reports, FBI agents have already interviewed Argentine sports business- man Guillermo Tofoni as part of the inquiry. Argentine television reports from Ciu- dadano News also identified theater producer Javier Faroni and his wife, Erica Gillette (who resides in an apartment in Sunny Isles, ac- cording to Florida Division of Corporations records), as central figures in the investigation because of their connection to TourProdEnter LLC, the Miami company that allegedly han- dled AFA’s international commercial revenue. During a broadcast on Tuesday, July 7, hosts claimed Argentine prosecutors have summoned Faroni and Gillette to testify on Jan. 19 as investigators examine hundreds of millions of dollars that allegedly moved through TourProdEnter’s U.S. bank accounts. The hosts also claimed investigators are re- viewing transactions involving multiple Amer- ican financial institutions, although Argentine authorities have not publicly confirmed details of the hearing or identified the banks involved. Gillette could not be reached for comment by the time of this publication. The reported U.S. investigation comes af- ter months of mounting legal problems for the AFA in Argentina. In December, the Associated Press re- ported that Argentine federal police raided AFA headquarters and numerous soccer clubs as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering and tax evasion involving financial services firm Sur Finanzas. Authori- ties sought contracts and financial records documenting the company’s relationships with clubs and the federation. Later reporting by Reuters detailed addi- tional criminal complaints involving AFA president Claudio ‘Chiqui’ Tapia and other federation officials, who have denied wrong- doing and argued they are being politically targeted amid a broader dispute with Argen- tine President Javier Milei over the future of professional soccer in the country. Because many international sponsorship and media-rights payments allegedly moved through a U.S.-registered company and the American banking system, federal prosecu- tors may have jurisdiction over transactions that occurred outside Argentina if they in- volved U.S. financial institutions. That’s the same legal framework federal authorities have used in previous international soccer corruption investigations, including the land- mark 2015 FIFA bribery prosecutions. At this stage, however, no criminal charges have been announced in the United States against the AFA or its leadership, and investi- gators appear to be gathering testimony and financial records. The AFA had not responded to New Times’ inquiries via Instagram or email by the time of this reporting. [email protected] | RIPTIDE |
