The Federal Justice enabled the extradition of businessman Federico “Fred” crushed to the United States, accused of drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud, including fraud in the acquisition of contraband aircraft. The case, which must now resolve the Supreme Court after the confirmation of the validity of the positions for Texas justice in October 2025, again stirred the waters of the libertarian ruling after a complaint about alleged political and judicial maneuvers to curb the process.
According to public, the online policy, the Minister of Justice Mariano Cúneo Libarona (a career lawyer in high profile causes, including defenses in drug trafficking), would have intervened to benefit the surroundings of Machado, an Argentine businessman required by US justice since 2021, when he was arrested in Neuquén,
The link is explained through the libertarian deputy Lorena Villaverde, defended by Cúneo Libarona before assuming her position in a case related to drug trafficking in the USA. Villaverde is a couple of Claudio Ciccarelli, cousin brother and man of extreme confidence of Machado, as well as her main representative in Argentina. In the judicial file, Ciccarelli is mentioned as an intermediary in the procedures and operations of the companies linked to the accused. The connection between the three (Villaverde, Ciccarelli and Machado) feeds the suspicions of an influence network that would have sought to protect it, including mining businesses in Río Negro and efforts to delay extradition.
As reported by the media, Cúneo Libarona would have used its institutional position to promote efforts before the Public Prosecutor’s Office and different federal courts with the aim of delaying or conditioning the extradition decision. However, the process advanced: the federal judge of Neuquén, Gustavo Villanueva, declared the delivery of Machado in April 2022, and Attorney General Eduardo Casal ruled in favor of the United States request in April 2023. Now, the Supreme Court must pronounce itself definitively, after which the Executive could have the last word for reasons of sovereignty.
Meanwhile, the Machado case continues to generate discomfort in the ruling party. This is due not only to personal ties with figures close to the president, such as the fact that Machado’s lawyer, Francisco Oneto, also represents Javier Milei, but also because he exposes a complex network of relations between political power, justice and international business that prefers to remain hidden.
