A 55-year-old high-performance athlete and founder of the first provincial archery school in Mendoza has been ordered to serve a 13-year prison sentence following a final ruling by the local judiciary, according to court documents and reporting by Cadena 3 and El Sol. The sentence stems from charges of aggravated sexual abuse involving carnal access, aggravated by the familial relationship with the victim, who was his son.
Judicial Timeline and Final Enforcement
The case reached a turning point when the Supreme Court of Justice rejected an extraordinary federal appeal filed by the defense, as reported by El Sol. Following that rejection, the Tribunal Penal Colegiado Nº 2 moved to enforce the sentence. The presiding judges—Horacio Cadile, Marcelo Gutiérrez del Barrio, and Carolina Colucci—addressed the state of the expediente during a hearing where the defendant appeared alongside his legal counsel, Federico Ábalos.
Cadile and Gutiérrez del Barrio ruled by majority that the conviction was legally firm under local jurisprudence once the provincial high court dismissed the extraordinary federal appeal, even though the defense retained the option to file a complaint (recurso de queja) with the national Supreme Court. Colucci voted in dissent, arguing that imprisonment should wait until all potential avenues before the national high court were exhausted to protect against irreversible detention if a ruling were later overturned.
Origin of the Investigation and Prior Proceedings
The legal proceedings began in 2011 after the boy’s mother filed an initial criminal complaint when the victim was 11 years old, according to Cadena 3. During subsequent investigative interviews via Cámara Gesell, the minor detailed the abuse perpetrated by his father. Court records show the case previously went through an initial trial that resulted in a guilty verdict, which was later annulled by the provincial Supreme Court due to procedural errors.
A second trial subsequently resulted in the same 13-year prison sentence, handed down on September 23, 2024. Throughout the years of litigation, the defendant spent three years under preventive detention, largely served under house arrest, before remaining free pending appeals until the recent enforcement order sent him to a traditional penitentiary facility.
Athletic Background and Community Impact
The convicted individual established a prominent profile within Argentine archery, representing the national selection in various international competitions and earning recognition, including medals at the 2018 Odesur Games, as noted by Cadena 3. Locally, he was a teacher and founded the first provincial archery school in Mendoza, drawing significant public attention across the region as the case progressed through the courts.
To protect the identity of the victim, judicial authorities and local media outlets have withheld the name of the convicted athlete. Following the notification of the sentence computation at the tribunal, law enforcement officers transferred him to the provincial prison system to begin serving his term.
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