Alleged Multi-Billion Peso Scheme Plundered Argentine State Funds Under Multiple Administrations
A sprawling illicit association allegedly siphoned tens of billions of pesos from Argentina’s National Disability Agency (Andis) and other state entities during the presidencies of Javier Milei, Alberto Fernández, and the administration of Diego Spagnuolo, according to a reconstruction by THE NATION based on official records, tax documents, and sources with knowledge of the operation. The scheme, centered around businessmen Miguel Angel Calvete and Federico Maximiliano Santich, involved a network of former officials, drugstore owners, and associates operating largely in the shadows until now.
The operation began to coalesce during the COVID-19 pandemic, when a mutual acquaintance connected Calvete and Santich. Their initial conversations quickly turned toward opportunities to secure business with the public sector, starting with the sale of orthopedic and medical supplies to the Ministry of Health during the tenure of Ginés González García. “Wheelchairs, based in Villa Urquiza,” recalled a source directly familiar with the operation, speaking under condition of anonymity. “They had a constant flow of business with Health officials, and with individuals connected to the Casa Rosada, including collaborators of Santiago Cafiero and Juan Manzur.”
During those years of quarantine, Calvete and Santich also reportedly generated millions through the National Institute of Social Services for Retirees and Pensioners (PAMI) and the National Highway Directorate. However, their focus at the Directorate wasn’t on infrastructure projects, but rather on the provision of “services,” according to LA NACION.
Santich’s Expanding Business Network
Santich operated these businesses through a series of companies, including Profarma SA and Profusion Marketing SRL, which was later renamed Profusion SRL in August 2020, shifting its focus from computer consulting to “services related to human health.” Both companies are cited in prosecutor Franco Picardi’s November filing requesting an investigation into Santich and the arrest of Calvete.
However, Picardi’s filing did not include two additional companies reportedly used extensively by Santich: Smart Medical Image SRL (SMI SRL – CUIT 30-71586218-9) and Prenor SAS (CUIT 30-71659647-4). Both were established with the sale of orthopedic instruments as their primary purpose in December 2020 and July 2022, respectively, according to ARCA records.
Smart Medical Image and Prenor were directly overseen by Laura Poloni, Santich’s right-hand woman. “She requested all invoices, managed payments for these companies, and oversaw fund withdrawals,” explained another source consulted by LA NACION.
The Andis Connection and Political Ties
A pivotal moment arrived when Kevin Poco, a regular contact, facilitated introductions between Calvete, Santich, and Diego Spagnuolo at Andis. “Kevin was the one who brought Santich and Spagnuolo together, and that’s where it all began,” a source familiar with the business stated ironically. “The contact was made from the Pocovi family offices in Catalinas Plaza Tower.”
Spagnuolo and Poco reportedly knew each other before the 2023 presidential campaign, with the introduction to Calvete occurring during campaign events. Poco, closely linked to libertarian deputy Guillermo Montenegro – formerly an operator for Vice President Victoria Villarruel – is connected to three business companies. One of these, Inversora Eslava SA, signed a 36-month rental agreement with PAMI for a building on Reconquista Street in Buenos Aires for over $2.7 billion in 2024, according to official file AA-EX-2024-66403307-INSSJP-GAEI.
Poco is also the half-brother of Alan Poco, another individual under investigation in the “Andis case.” Prosecutor Picardi alleges Alan Poco received funds from Calvete and others linked to orthopedic supply firms, with those funds allegedly laundered through cryptocurrencies.
Expansion and Ambitions
As the operation grew, generating substantial income, the protagonists reportedly acquired a diagnostic imaging center in Quilmes and financed local political campaigns. Santich, flush with cash, began purchasing luxury vehicles with large sums of money. He also established an office at 1080 Emerald Street in Buenos Aires to expand operations, including through Meridius SA (CUIT 30-71179868-0), a company specializing in the retail sale of medical instruments and orthopedic products since January 2023.
Alongside Sergio Mastropietro, identified by prosecutor Picardi as an alleged launderer through firms Baires Fly SA and Megastatica SA, Santich and Calvete reportedly aimed to enter “the major leagues.” “They got carried away,” recalled someone who knew the trio for years. “They were so ambitious that they even talked about buying the Garbarino chain.”
