Overview

• Federico “Fred” Machado, under house arrest in Viedma, said he signed a 2019 contract with José Luis Espert worth more than US$200,000 and provided aircraft and logistical support.
• Machado claimed Espert asked for monetary help during the 2019 run and described multiple shared trips, contradicting the lawmaker’s earlier minimization of their contact.
• Judge Marcelo Martínez De Giorgi signaled he will not summon Espert for questioning in the illicit financing case until the outcome of Machado’s extradition and related U.S. proceedings is clarified.
• The extradition file for Machado has been returned to Argentina’s Supreme Court for a decision after consultations confirmed the standing U.S. charges.
• Espert quit his current candidacy after reporting on U.S. court records, including Bank of America data from the ‘USA v. Mercer‑Erwin’ case, documented a US$200,000 transfer tied to Machado’s network.