ARGENTINA — According to the publication Revista Gente, Nicolás Gabriel Soria (42) who has been photographed with Operation Underground Railroad’s Tim Ballard, is currently being held in connection with the disappearance of missing 5-year-old boy, Loan Danilo Peña.
Peña disappeared on June 13, 2024 in Goya. Soria is one of the seven accused of the crime of "Abduction and Concealment of the minor."
Translated from Spanish, the article reads:
"Loan Case: "El Americano," one of those arrested for the possible kidnapping of other children from Corrientes, spoke out.
These are key days in the investigation into what happened to the 5-year-old boy.
After a new extension was established this week for the closing date of the investigation into the case of Loan Danilo Peña, the boy from Corrientes who disappeared on June 13, 2024, these are crucial days with the emergence of new evidence that strongly points to one of the accused, as well as new statements from the detainees.
Following a request from the federal judge in charge of the case, Cristina Pozzer Penzo, the investigation will continue until at least mid-July. If conditions are met, the case will proceed to oral and public trial against the seven defendants for the crime of "Abduction and Concealment of a Minor."
But alongside the main case, the Justice Department is also targeting several detainees in a second case for possible obstruction of the investigation, including Nicolás Gabriel Soria, also known in the media as "El Americano."
This person showed up in 9 de Julio, the town in Corrientes where Loan lived, presenting himself as a member of the Lucio Dupuy Foundation, claiming to be willing to collaborate in the investigation and assist the other minors in Loan's family. But at the same time, when speaking with other people in the area, he introduced himself as a member of Interpol, the international police organization.
Raising more questions than answers, and after a confusing episode in which he attempted to detain a group of minors in a hotel in Goya (a town just a few kilometers from Loan's disappearance), Soria was ultimately detained and investigated. This week, in the midst of a phase that could provide important developments for the case, "El Americano" took part in a key hearing in which he decided to speak out and even went so far as to point the finger at other individuals who, until now, had not been investigated.
"He said, 'I'm going to tell everything.' He targeted Gustavo Vera, an activist, former Buenos Aires legislator, and founder of the La Alameda Foundation. He also spoke about lawyer Fernando Burlando and said, 'I had meetings with you in your office, Judge,' in relation to Judge Cristina Pozzer Penzo," journalist Diego Esteves told Crónica, which had access to the hearing.
In this regard, the man arrested for possible obstruction, concealment, and kidnapping of three other children stated during this hearing: "Everyone who participated in Loan's disappearance must be brought to justice." Among the statements released in the media was that of Soria's defense attorney, who stated that her client "is suffering an early sentence" and asserted that there is evidence that "El Americano" traveled to the province of Corrientes "15 days after the disappearance" to "try to help the case with his experience."'