Gonzalo Montiel reported his former lawyer, Nicolás Payarola, for fraud.

Gonzalo Montiel initiated legal actions against Nicolás Payarola, his former lawyer, for a scam that would reach 700 thousand dollars. The attorney allegedly diverted part of the money corresponding to the prize for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, along with other family funds, using deceptive maneuvers that included a fake real estate venture and fictitious financial methods.

Payarola began to associate with the River defender in March 2023, amid a abuse complaint involving the player. He was recommended by a trusted person, and quickly caused closeness with the family. That trust relationship would have allowed him, according to the complaint, to economically defraud the Montiels.

The World Champion's family claimed that the lawyer promoted a real estate project in Ezeiza as a front to request significant sums of money. They first asked for 25 million pesos as initial capital for the supposed venture, followed by another 200 thousand dollars for a land purchase operation, funds that never reached the seller.

Another maneuver present in the complaint is related to a supposed financial investment. The lawyer would have persuaded Montiel to invest 160 thousand dollars in a supposed method known as "MEP dollar". Over time, the complainants realized it was a fraud, as no one buys dollars with dollars.

The Qatar 2022 prize

Payarola's actions would have also reached the prize awarded for the victory in the last World Cup. According to the complaint, the lawyer used his role as attorney to keep 116,355,000 pesos (137 thousand dollars) of the original 362,802,000 (427 thousand dollars), which would represent about a third of the total amount. Fortunately, the rest of the money was retained by the family, preventing an even greater loss.

The start of suspicions and the complaint

Alarms were raised when Brahim López, Gonzalo's brother-in-law, who worked at Payarola's law firm, began to notice inconsistencies. This was compounded by the discovery that the land they supposedly had already purchased was still listed for sale.

The formal complaint by the family includes nine acts of fraud and three material falsehoods, accompanied by documentation and WhatsApp messages as evidence. Although Payarola would have returned part of the money, the amount recovered was much lower than the total claimed.

There is also reference to a previous case involving Payarola in Tierra del Fuego, where he is accused of being part of a criminal network dedicated to scamming the elderly through the "uncle's story." He also faces another accusation filed by María Ximena Braña, who hired him as a lawyer and then reported him for a scam of similar characteristics.

Montiel finally broke his bond with Payarola in the sexual abuse case and entrusted his defense to lawyers Daniel Rubinovich and Rafael Sal Lari, who achieved his acquittal. These same professionals are currently leading the complaint against the lawyer and the alleged accomplices.