$300M Argentina Soccer Scandal: FBI Probes Florida Firm Over World Cup Cash

Federal investigators in South Florida are checking more than $300 million in payments tied to the Argentine Football Association, Miami New Times reported. The money allegedly moved through a Florida company that handled sponsorship deals for the World Cup champs.

The FBI and U.S. Department of Justice want to know if cash from big brands like Adidas and Warner Bros. Discovery was sent through U.S. banks in ways that broke American laws. They’re looking at possible money laundering, wire fraud, and tax evasion.

The main company under review is TourProdEnter LLC. It was set up in Florida in August 2021 and reportedly collected international sponsorship money for the AFA. Investigators say over $300 million passed through its U.S. bank accounts.

The investigation started in 2025, according to reports. It involves prosecutors in Washington, D.C., and the Southern District of Florida. Argentine media said one of the prosecutors is Michael Berger. He helped convict former Ecuadorian comptroller Carlos Ramón Pólit in a Miami money-laundering case.

FBI agents have already talked to Argentine sports businessman Guillermo Tofoni. Argentine TV show Ciudadano News also named theater producer Javier Faroni and his wife Erica Gillette as key people in the case because of their links to TourProdEnter. Records show Gillette lives in Sunny Isles. Both have been told to testify on Jan. 19 by Argentine prosecutors.

We couldn’t reach Faroni or Gillette for comment before this story went live.

This U.S. investigation comes after months of trouble for the AFA in Argentina. Last December, federal police raided AFA headquarters and several clubs. They were investigating alleged money laundering and tax evasion involving financial firm Sur Finanzas. Reuters later reported new complaints against AFA president Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia and other officials. They say they’re innocent and claim they’re being targeted politically during a fight with President Javier Milei over how soccer should be run.

Because many of these sponsorship and media deals allegedly went through a U.S. company and American banks, federal prosecutors may have the power to act even if the deals started outside the U.S. That’s the same legal move used in the big 2015 FIFA bribery case.

So far, no one has been charged in the U.S. over this. Investigators are still collecting statements and financial records.

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