Trial in Bouwer: Former chief and lawyers accused of illegal charges to inmates and their families

The Córdoba Penitentiary Service faces a new judicial chapter with the former head of Bouwer, Sergio Guzmán, as the main defendant. Prosecutor Enrique Gavier ordered that part of the investigation go to trial, indicating the existence of an alleged illicit association within the facility. The case points to a systematic mechanism of illegal collections that allegedly operated for years and affected numerous inmates and their families.

The investigation keeps that Guzmán relied on three lawyers and two private individuals who acted as intermediaries to execute the payments demanded in exchange for benefits within the prison. Each member of the network allegedly had a specific role to ensure the scheme worked without issues or leaks to higher authorities. The scheme also extended to other prisons where Guzmán worked, such as UCA and Cruz del Eje, expanding its reach within the system.

Among the crimes charged against Guzmán are illicit association, extortion of inmates, unlawful deprivation of liberty, and illegal possession of firearms. He is accused of allowing the formation of a "co-government" within Bouwer, which gave pavilion leaders the power to manage illicit activities with total impunity. The case highlights that the favors granted in exchange for money or goods included permits, favorable reports, and progress in the inmates' phases.

Managers and couriers

Oscar Salas, a former employee of the Ministry of Security, was identified as a "courier" in charge of collecting payments and transmitting Guzmán's directives to inmates and relatives. According to the investigation, he executed specific orders from the former penitentiary chief and promoted Guzmán's image as a benefactor for those who complied with the payments. Aldo Florencio Campos, another detained private individual, also acted as an intermediary, offering benefits to inmates and coordinating with the involved lawyers to manage clients.

Salas and Campos operated as the central link of the association, ensuring that the collected resources reached Guzmán without issues. The judiciary states that both figures had converging tasks that were essential for the operation of the scheme. The participation of the intermediaries allowed Guzmán's reach to extend to inmates and relatives in an organized and systematic manner.

The lawyers Alfredo Ciocca, Julio César Páez, and Gustavo Murgaare part of the alleged association and managed Guzmán's procedures and collections. Ciocca intervened in certificates of inmate progress and refunds of failed payments, while Páez coordinated directly with the former penitentiary chief to determine amounts and allocation of resources. Murga is accused of similar conduct, although his specific activity has not been detailed in the judicial investigation.

Villa María and external cells

In Villa María, a separate cell operated that included the three top chiefs of the local prison, seven inmates, and eleven private individuals who acted from outside to carry out telephone scams. The detained chiefs received money to allow the use of telephones and cleared areas of the facility so inmates could commit crimes without being disturbed. This mechanism indicates the existence of two simultaneous illicit associations, one of officials and another of inmates who committed scams.

Police procedures revealed that the officials charged between 300,000 and 500,000 pesos ($66,138 and $110,230) for "tolls" and authorized criminal activities, including telephone fraud, with complete freedom within the prison. The investigation indicates that Guzmán coordinated the operations from Bouwer and the intermediaries managed the collections and delivered the benefits to the recipients. The judicial case continues, with the trial scheduled as the first instance to establish responsibilities and sanctions.