Rosario businessman Leandro David Pérez, also known as “Lelo” Pérez, was arrested by the Federal Police during a raid at his apartment in the exclusive Torre Aqualina building located in the Martin neighborhood of Rosario, near the National Flag Monument. The 53-year-old businessman, who previously gained public notoriety for a brief romance with celebrity Vicky Xipolitakis, faces a new federal investigation concerning alleged money laundering operations.
Rosario Businessman Leandro David Pérez Arrested in Federal Money Laundering Probe
The joint operation was carried out by Procunar and Procelac, with a specialized division of the Cadena 3 Argentina deploying personnel from Buenos Aires. Following his arrest, Pérez was taken to a local federal unit facility, where he remained pending an investigative hearing.
Scope of the Federal Investigation and Alleged Narco-Money Links
According to case sources, prosecutors are investigating Pérez for allegedly laundering funds derived from drug trafficking activities. The inquiry focuses on a construction trust, a massive acquisition of vehicles and real estate properties, and commercial enterprises. Prosecutors Infobae of Procelac and Matías Scilabra of Procunar are spearheading the case, which is lodged in Federal Court No. 3 of Rosario under federal judge Rosario3, operating under the older procedural legal system.
Investigators have placed several companies under scrutiny, including Palabra Santa S.R.L. and Araca, both dedicated to wholesale and retail clothing sales, as well as Infobae Previous historical intelligence reports from the Financial Information Unit also linked Pérez’s activities to historical underworld figures, including Luis Medina and the Los Monos organization.
Additional Arrests Involving Business Associates and Police Officials
The federal procedures also resulted in the arrest of several other individuals linked to the case. Among those detained alongside Pérez are his business associate Marcelo M., a former Santa Fe police officer named Maximiliano N. who was dismissed from the force in 2023, and a subinspector identified as Emiliano Ezequiel H., according to Rosario3 reporting. Furthermore, Pérez’s son, Agustín, was identified by authorities as involved in the operations under investigation, though he was not located during the initial rounds of raids.
Prior Convictions in the Real Estate Megascan Scandal
Pérez is no stranger to judicial proceedings in Rosario. A decade prior, he was one of eleven defendants in a massive real estate fraud case known locally as the megacausa por estafas inmobiliarias, which investigated complex asset laundering and illicit property transfers involving a 124-hectare field in Villa Amelia. After spending time under house arrest and later obtaining conditional release on bail, Pérez accepted responsibility in February 2023 through a abbreviated trial agreement.
In that provincial ruling, he received a sentence of three years of effective imprisonment, was ordered to pay a multi-million-peso fine exceeding 200 million pesos, and faced the confiscation of assets valued at 360,000 dollars. Despite that prior conviction, federal prosecutors allege he continued structuring sophisticated money laundering networks on a larger scale.
