Overview

• Peronist leader Juan Grabois filed a criminal complaint alleging José Luis Espert received at least US$200,000 in February 2020 from a trust tied to Federico “Fred” Machado, citing forensic accounting in the Eastern District of Texas case.
• The alleged transfer appears in materials referencing Aircraft Guarantee Corporation linked to Machado, whose U.S. case involves drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud allegations.
• Espert acknowledged knowing Machado and using one of his planes in 2019 but denied wrongdoing and labeled the accusation a dirty campaign, while President Javier Milei publicly defended him and called the allegations false.
• Peronist lawmaker Germán Martínez said he will seek Espert’s immediate removal from the chair of the congressional Budget Committee as debate on the 2026 budget begins.
• Machado has been detained in Argentina since April 2021 awaiting a U.S. extradition decision, with his former associate Debra Mercer‑Erwin already sentenced in the U.S.; one of Machado’s attorneys, Francisco Oneto, has also represented Milei, adding political sensitivity.