Eyes were scanned and data stolen: a judicial official arrested in a case investigating $27 billion laundering

An investigation into money laundering has uncovered a criminal organization that allegedly offered money in exchange for eye scans, using the biometric data to open virtual accounts. These accounts were reportedly used to launder funds from illegal online casinos. According to sources close to the investigation, one of the suspects may have handled approximately 27 billion pesos (around $27 million USD). The probe began after a cleaning employee at the Buenos Aires Province Released Persons Patronage reported being offered 80,000 pesos for an eye scan, of which she only received 40,000. Detectives from the Federal Police arrested three suspects, including a judicial official from Buenos Aires province. Albertina Mangini, who held the position of first instance secretary in the coordination office with the Released Persons Patronage, is accused of exploiting her role to recruit vulnerable individuals for the eye-scanning scheme. Another arrested suspect, Ignacio Marchioni, had previously been investigated in a case involving the financial company Sur Finanzas. Investigators believe Mangini's role was to identify and persuade vulnerable people to undergo the eye scan for cash, while Marchioni and another suspect allegedly opened virtual accounts and managed the finances, processing billions of pesos in a matter of months. The investigation, led by La Plata prosecutor Betina Lacki, involved nine raids across several cities in Buenos Aires province and Córdoba.

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Behind this few-minute procedure [the eye scan] hid a financial machinery capable of turning a vulnerable person's identity into an account that collected millions of pesos.