Need advice on how to litigate and recover my loss from a potential fraud.

[Ceviche]

What occurred here sounds like Wire Fraud, which is a felony in the United States and you should attack the problem there.
If you still have contact with the scammer, I would make it clear to him that unless he makes you whole that you will be filing a report with the FBI, advising the US State Department about his identity and activities, and also contacting the ARCA (Argentine ex- AFIP) about his USA bank account/company which may or may not be declared. In some sense you are quite fortunate that this transaction took place in the United States and your counterparty has a USA visa and company/bank account as he a lot more to lose than the $30,000 USD he took you for.

Agree its very good advise.

Trying to fight in court here is a waste of time and efforts.

 

[Johngwyn]

What occurred here sounds like Wire Fraud, which is a felony in the United States and you should attack the problem there.
If you still have contact with the scammer, I would make it clear to him that unless he makes you whole that you will be filing a report with the FBI, advising the US State Department about his identity and activities, and also contacting the ARCA (Argentine ex- AFIP) about his USA bank account/company which may or may not be declared. In some sense you are quite fortunate that this transaction took place in the United States and your counterparty has a USA visa and company/bank account as he a lot more to lose than the $30,000 USD he took you for.

Thanks a lot your message gives me a glimpse of hope in the mist.

Do you think hiring a lawyer in Buenos Aires to handle the negotiation and mediation might help?

Years ago, when my wife was going through the divorce, she initially demanded everything from me very aggressively. However, after my lawyer simply made one phone call to her, she dropped all her demands and left the marriage only her 'blanket'. That experience taught me that sometimes a good lawyer can accomplish much more than we expect. But I’m unsure whether lawyers in Buenos Aires would be equally competent in handling such a situation. If you or anyone knows a lawyer as such, it would help greatly.

The scammer himself was a former lawyer, whose license status now shows: 'No habilitado para el ejercicio de la abogacía'.
He was licensed in the Buenos Aires province, but through his illegal practice involving fraud, he caused significant harm and from what others have suggested, I may not be his only victim, seems like a wild west.

I also feel it is my obligation to report this incident to the Bar Association or to a serious authority, to help minimize future victims.
Even if I have to accept losing 30K in worst case, I want to do my part to make Argentina a slightly better place, even if only in a small way.

 

[cherepaxa]

You can make a denuncia at Dirección Nacional de Defensa del Consumidor y Arbitraje del Consumo. They're usually pretty good at handling stuff

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Here’s a link to the consumers protection site.

 

[nikad]

I believe the very first thing to do would be to file a report with the police in Arg. I think this matter belongs to criminal law, at least in Arg. ( scam, fraud ). I have no idea what you should do in the US, but I guess under the current administration maybe report him to ICE?. Do you know if this " lawyer " has a history of similar scams, if he is currently in the country, how did you get in touch with him in the first place?. Do you have enough evidence that could be used as proof? ( this is crucial )

 

[Johngwyn]

I believe the very first thing to do would be to file a report with the police in Arg. I think this matter belongs to criminal law, at least in Arg. ( scam, fraud ). I have no idea what you should do in the US, but I guess under the current administration maybe report him to ICE?. Do you know if this " lawyer " has a history of similar scams, if he is currently in the country, how did you get in touch with him in the first place?. Do you have enough evidence that could be used as proof? ( this is crucial )

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.
Last night, I already reported him to the FBI. We'll see if any agent is interested in taking on the case.
After doing a little digging on Google, I found another victim who had a similar experience with him. (I should've done more due diligence beforehand.)

I initially found him through a Google search. He has an open website and a YouTube channel where he posts daily, presenting himself as an elite business nomad lifestyle coach. (Although that wasn't the reason I chose him, it did add a layer of perceived credibility.)

As for the evidence, I have contracts, the initial consultation video recording, hundreds of email exchanges, and screenshots from ARCA proving suspension of the company’s CULT number.

Honestly, I am a consultant and was a businessman myself. I never thought I would be scammed in this way. His proposal was too good to be realistic, and he cleverly used real information from an unrelated company to cover up his shell company. Doing business due diligence in Argentina is extremely difficult, and initially, I had no idea how to verify properly. Last year, when I was making the decision, my rational side sent me warnings that something felt off, but my risk seeking side decided to trust him. After all, he had everything seemingly in place to pass my due diligence, which I now realize he faked entirely.

From what I can tell, he is moving to Dubai and is likely setting up more scam offices or businesses there to expand his scamming operation.
At least I have reported him to the FBI, and I will continue to do everything I can to pursue this further.

 

[Ceviche]

'. That experience taught me that sometimes a good lawyer can accomplish much more than we expect.

It is true. One important lesson I learnt living here, its critical to have a lawyer ( especially a qualified criminal lawyer) in your whatsapp 24/7. I have seen Argentines take a back step once they see you have a proper lawyer who is actually faithful to you. They do take a step back when you get in a lawyer to talk for you! I have seen this MANY times basis personal experiences. key is to have a lawyer who is faithful to you.