Argentina judge removes plaintiffs from $LIBRA crypto fraud investigation

Federal judge Marcelo Martínez de Giorgi ordered the exclusion of five investors—Juan Patricio Marchetto, Alan Vega, Matías Alejandro Paris, Braian Emanuel Quintero and Martín Romeo—from the $LIBRA crypto fraud case. The decision followed a request from the defense of lobbyist Mauricio Novelli, one of the main defendants. Martínez de Giorgi argued that $LIBRA is a “memecoin” whose volatility makes the investors’ losses a market‑risk issue rather than a criminal fraud, and that the plaintiffs failed to prove ownership of the wallets used to buy the token. The ruling weakens the fraud hypothesis that the victims had been defrauded and confines the investigation to federal prosecutor Eduardo Taiano. The excluded plaintiffs said they will appeal the decision to the Federal Chamber. The case stems from President Javier Milei’s promotion of $LIBRA on 14 February 2025, after which the token’s value collapsed. The ruling has sparked criticism in Congress, with opposition legislators linking it to recent judicial appointments involving the judge’s wife.