Overview

• The Neuquén federal judge returned the case to the high court after the Foreign Ministry verified that U.S. charges remain active.
• U.S. authorities in the Eastern District of Texas continue to accuse Federico “Fred” Machado of narcotrafficking, money laundering and fraud, and the extradition request stands.
• Judge Gustavo Villanueva declared the extradition procedurally valid in 2022 and Attorney General Eduardo Casal backed it in 2023, before defense motions delayed the process.
• Machado’s lawyer, Francisco Oneto, argued there were changes in the U.S. case; the Supreme Court ordered diplomatic verification, which confirmed nothing had changed.
• If the court approves extradition, the executive branch must issue the final decision within ten working days, while Machado remains under house arrest in Viedma and faces scrutiny over a $200,000 transfer and undeclared 2019 campaign flights linked to José Luis Espert.