For several years Carina Roxana Flores and Juan Carlos Alegre exhibited a standard of living that attracted attention. The man did not have the financial capacity, but he had bought four high-value cars. The woman was registered as a monotributista, without commercial operations. The two remained under the scrutiny of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Months later, The investigation showed that both suspects acquired automobiles to launder money from drug sales.
Cornered by the evidence against them, Alegre and Flores admitted their responsibility in the events attributed by the federal prosecutor’s office in an abbreviated trial.
The agreement reached with the prosecution to avoid a common trial was not a bad deal for the defendants, because They were sentenced to the minimum sentence with which the Argentine Penal Code represses money laundering.
The Federal Oral Criminal Court of Neuquén, composed solely of Chamber Judge María Paula Marisi, approved the agreement between the prosecution, the accused and their private defender. lHe was sentenced to 3 years in prison as co-authors of laundering money from drug trafficking.
Both already had a previous conviction for trafficking and sale of narcotics. On December 14, 2018, the Federal Oral Court of San Martín (Buenos Aires) imposed 6 years in prison on Alegre. While the Federal Oral Court of Santa Rosa sentenced Flores to 5 years and 6 months in prison.
Now, Marisi unified their sentences. TO Alegre imposed a single sentence of 6 years in prison, plus the fine and the costs of the process. While sentenced Flores to a single sentence of 5 years and 6 months in prison, in addition to the fine provided for this crime and the costs of the process.
The first step of the investigation
According to the ruling, which was handed down on June 11, the investigation originated on October 11, 2016, chen the formation of new actions was ordered to investigate the two suspects for the alleged commission of the crime of money laundering. It happens that the investigators put the magnifying glass on Alegre and Flores in front of the existence of money and cars found in his assets that could not be justified “due to his lack of commercial activities and whose origin would be linked to drug trafficking.”
The researchers found that They owned eleven cars, which they had purchased between 2013 and 2016. Several acquired them in Neuquén capital. Telephone interventions and the exchange of messages between the suspects were key to advancing the investigations.
“The evidence added throughout the process allows us to affirm that Juan Carlos Alegre and Carina Roxana Flores carried out commercial operations in order to put money of illicit origin into circulation.with the purpose of hiding their origin and integrating them into the formal economic circuit under the appearance of legality, during the period between 2013 and 2016,” the judge said in the ruling.
Money of illicit origin
“The origin of the money used was the product of the illicit drug trafficking activity carried out since at least 2011. from now on in accordance with proceedings 2604/3/11 of the Federal Oral Court of Salta. And between May 1, 2015 until December 22, 2015 as arises from the case FGR 6221/2015,” he said.
The judge cited the report of the Financial Information Unit in the asset investigation of the defendants, which concluded: “The assets profile of the accused -in principle composed of registrable movable property and cash – would not have apparent legal and/or economic justification due to the lack of commercial activities and declared income.”
“Otherwise, it cannot be ruled out that the origin of the funds is related to the illicit activities that are being investigated in the framework of this case and that lThe ownership of the registered vehicles corresponds to a placement maneuver in the formal financial market, ensuring the profit of the crime,” the report added.
“As for the act of putting goods derived from a criminal offense into circulation on the market, I understand that“It was verified that ALEGRE and FLORES, through the purchase and sale of different automobiles, put into circulation the goods coming from illicit drug trafficking,” Marisi stated.
“The presence in their assets or the possession of the automobiles that were later sold to acquire others of greater value (e.g. Toyota Prado or Audi) allow us to maintain that in this way the defendants generated an appearance of legality regarding their origin,” he highlighted.
“Laundering is understood to be the set of operations by which the fruits of crime are introduced into the economic circuit with the appearance of legality.”
María Paula Marisi, judge of the TOF of Neuquén
The fact that the prosecution attributed to them
The federal prosecutor’s office attributed to the defendants «having carried out commercial operations with the purpose of transferring, selling, disguising and/or putting into circulation money of illicit originwith the purpose of hiding their origin and integrating them into the formal economic circuit under the appearance of legality, at least during the period between 2013 and 2016.”
The Public Prosecutor’s Office reported that “the operations consisted of the acquisition of automobiles, even without carrying out the transfer of ownership, in some cases obtaining authorization to circulate and in others not, and the possession of cash at their home in the domiciliary registry. from Suyai Street to 600 Centenario. At his home they found 889,437 pesos and 2,500 dollars.
Today Alegre is detained in the Federal Penitentiary Complex I of Ezeiza. While Flores is under house arrest in a home in Roca.
