Buenos Aires, February 4 (NA) — Businessman Marcelo Porcel, currently under judicial scrutiny due to a complaint, was a victim of a multimillion-dollar extortion months ago. This incident led to an operation by the Argentine Federal Police (PFA), resulting in the arrest of two people caught in the act while attempting to collect the demanded money, with a focus on a 'promoter' lawyer.
The event occurred on November 18 and 19, 2025, when the 51-year-old Porcel received a phone call from a person claiming to be a PFA member. They initially demanded $20,000, a sum they later tried to increase to $30,000, in exchange for not disseminating sensitive, false, and defamatory information linked to both his business activities and his family environment.
According to the court complaint, the extortionist claimed to have been hired by a woman who had allegedly provided the businessman's personal, family, and commercial data and threatened to launch a public discrediting campaign if the payment was not made.
In parallel, the investigation raised suspicions about the possible involvement of a lawyer, whose role is under analysis.
The case was handed over to the Federal Court of San Martín, which ordered a controlled delivery to identify the responsible parties, with the intervention of specialized PFA personnel. On the agreed day, the businessman arrived at the location with an envelope that was supposed to contain the demanded money. According to sources with access to courts, the individual in question would be Dr. Andrés Bertelegni. After a brief interaction, they received the envelope, and at that moment, the police officers intervened. "Once the maneuver was confirmed, the victim was immediately removed and the suspects were arrested," police sources indicated. One version suggests that one of those who testified revealed the surname. Investigators want to know if this lawyer has a history of previous complaints in a case linked to IOMA.
"Extortionist" According to the case file, the extortionist imposed specific conditions for the payment: the money had to be delivered the same day at a fast-food restaurant in the Buenos Aires district of San Martín, a high-traffic area, presumably chosen to go unnoticed. Far from complying with the request, Porcel filed a complaint immediately. During the procedure, the mobile phones used for the extortion were seized and subjected to technical analysis, including line tracing, IMEI checks, and communication record checks.
The businessman, before filing the extortion complaint, had previously been the target of schemes to take thousands of dollars from him. Both accused individuals were interrogated and remain charged in the extortion case, while the investigation continues with the analysis of footage from public and private cameras, phone forensics, and cross-referencing of information to determine if there were other accomplices or instigators.
Minutes later, the suspects—a woman identified as Sol Daiana Rodríguez and a man, Carlos Díaz—arrived in a black vehicle.
