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The Neighbor Who Called 911 After Seeing José López Throw Bags of Dollars into a Convent
🇦🇷 Argentina /Crime & Justice

The Neighbor Who Called 911 After Seeing José López Throw Bags of Dollars into a Convent

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • A neighbor recounts hearing suspicious noises and seeing José López desperately trying to throw bags of money over a convent wall late at night.
  • The neighbor called emergency services after witnessing López's actions, inadvertently exposing a major corruption case.
  • Ten years later, the neighbor still recalls the events of that night, which led to the downfall of a former public works secretary.

Jesús Ojeda, a neighbor, vividly remembers the night he heard unusual sounds and saw a man frantically trying to scale the wall of the Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Fátima convent. It was the early morning of June 14, 2016, and Ojeda, initially thinking his own property might be under threat, stepped outside to investigate.

What he witnessed was José López, then a former Secretary of Public Works, attempting to discard bags filled with dollars over the convent's perimeter wall. Ojeda saw López repeatedly ringing the doorbell, pacing, and then using a gas meter box to hoist himself over the wall. "I thought, 'This dirty person is throwing trash on the other side!'" Ojeda recalled, describing his initial confusion about the man's actions.

I thought, 'This dirty person is throwing trash on the other side!'

— Jesús OjedaDescribing his initial reaction to seeing José López throwing bags over the convent wall.

López, after successfully clearing the wall, proceeded to throw the bags into the convent grounds. Ojeda, observing from his property, heard López exclaim, "¡Ahora sí!" (Now yes!). The neighbor interpreted this as a triumphant declaration, perhaps related to his own perceived success in evading detection or completing his task.

Concerned by the suspicious activity, Ojeda contacted the 911 emergency line. His call that night inadvertently brought to light one of Argentina's most significant corruption scandals, involving the former official and a substantial amount of undeclared money. Ten years on, the memory of that night remains sharp for Ojeda, who played an unwitting role in exposing López's alleged crimes.

¡Ahora sí!

— José LópezWhat Ojeda heard López exclaim before jumping over the wall.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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