The case is linked to alleged embezzlement at the country’s National Disability Agency.
They investigate whether Neblockchain was just a tool or part of a broader scheme.
An investigation for alleged fraud in the National Disability Agency (ANDIS) of Argentina took a relevant turn. A parallel financial circuit that would have served to move funds originating from bribes through cryptocurrencies was put under the microscope.
The General Tax Directorate, an entity of the Customs Collection and Control Agency (ARCA), filed a complaint against Sur Finanzas. The company, previously called Neblockchain, is owned by financier Ariel Vallejo, close to the president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia.
The organism accused to the signing of laundering and evasion maneuvers for amounts that could exceed 3.3 billion of Argentine pesos (ARS)which is equivalent to 2.2 million dollars (USD). This after detecting suspicious transfers for more than ARS 818,000 million—USD 560 million—.
According to the researchers, 31% of these movements on its payment platform are from uncategorized subjects and, within this number, 9% are apocryphal (unreliable taxpayers) and 27% are monotributists with little detected economic capacity.
According to reports accessed by the local press, the clue that restless researchers point to operations registered on Neblockchain, a cryptocurrency application associated with Ariel Vallejo.
The judicial case is linked to the corruption case in ANDIS during the administration of former head Diego Spagnuolo, who was denounced for alleged bribes and million-dollar returns from suppliers of medicines and orthopedic supplies.
Prosecutor Franco Picardi warned that part of the money allegedly obtained through overpricing in tenders would have been diverted to Neblockchain.
The suspicion arose from the analysis of the phones seized from Miguel Ángel Calvete, identified as the organizer of the collection, and his operational link with Alan Pocoví and Sergio Mastropietro. According to the indictment, they supposedly managed the funds and carried out laundering maneuvers.
The prosecutor adds that the messages between Calvete and Pocoví show handling of large sums, both in pesos and dollars, along with direct references to transfers, collections and amounts to be completed. For the official, the conversations are a clear indication that both moved money on a regular basis and that a part ended up invested in cryptocurrencies via Neblockchain.
Amounts and transfers that draw a pattern
The captures incorporated into the file show requests for specific amounts and fractional operations. In one of them, a bank transfer appears for more than 6.5 million pesos—approximately USD 4,450—which investigators consider part of the collection scheme and subsequent laundering of funds.
Suspicions about the use of Neblockchain triggered a raid last week on Sur Finanzas, Ariel Vallejo’s company, who has a consolidated presence in football as a sponsor: His signature gave its name to the Professional League Cup and he wore jerseys from clubs such as Banfield, Platense, Barracas Central and several promotion institutions.
With the flow of money reconstructed through chats and receipts, the case advances on two fronts: clarifying the path of the money diverted from ANDIS and evaluating the degree of responsibility of each of those involved in the collection, mobility and alleged laundering stages.
It is worth noting that the Argentine authorities They have already investigated and even intervened in cryptocurrency operations. As reported by CriptoNoticias, in December 2024 they ordered the freezing of a wallet with about 3.5 million tether (USDT) linked to Rainbowex, an alleged pyramid platform. That investigation ordered the blocking of all associated wallets and accounts.