José Florentín faces arrest for threatening witnesses in abuse case | OneFootball

In the last few hours, the arrest of José Florentín, one of the four former Vélez players accused of rape, was requested. The request was made to the Justice of Tucumán by the victim's lawyers, who argue that the Paraguayan midfielder filed a counterclaim to "obstruct the investigation."

The defense of the young complainant claims that the footballer engaged in "evidence manipulation" and filed a "false complaint." Therefore, they are requesting his immediate arrest and that he remain in preventive detention.

The document submitted to the Justice states that Florentín's actions put "the life of the sexual abuse victim at risk" and recalls that the young woman attempted to take her own life a few weeks ago.

"He is committing acts of disturbance, intimidation, and harassment directly and indirectly towards the witnesses and the victim, with the aim of preventing them from testifying or causing the victim to take her own life, which could even constitute another crime such as instigation to suicide," claim the complainant's lawyers.

The family of the player, who will finish his contract with Central Córdoba in the coming days, had filed a counterclaim in October for "false testimony." In it, they accused lawyers Patricia Neme and Franco Venditti of having devised a plan to support the serious accusation against the players.

In response, the Justice quickly ordered raids on the home of the victim's father and the lawyers, which caused a crisis for the young complainant, who is undergoing psychological treatment.

In March 2024, four footballers who were then part of the Vélez squad were accused by a young sports journalist from Tucumán of sexual abuse. They were Sebastián Sosa, Abiel Osorio, José Florentín, and Braian Cufré.

The reported incident allegedly occurred a day after Fortín played a match corresponding to the eighth date of the Copa de la Liga against Atlético Tucumán in that province.

Florentín, like Osorio and Cufré, spent some time under house arrest and then regained his freedom. After Vélez terminated his contract, he moved to Central Córdoba of Santiago del Estero and signed a contract until December 31, 2025.

It seems that the midfielder will not continue with Ferroviario, and Paraguayan media reported in recent days that, after obtaining permission from the Justice to leave Argentina, he is in advanced negotiations to join Olimpia.

What are the penalties faced by the former Vélez players?

Braian Cufré and José Florentín are charged as co-authors of sexual abuse with aggravated carnal access due to the involvement of two or more people and face sentences ranging from eight to 20 years in prison as established in the Penal Code.

Sebastián Sosa, on the other hand, is accused of aggravated sexual abuse as a secondary participant. In this case, the goalkeeper faces the same penalties as Cufré and Florentín, although his punishment could be much less than that of his teammates. Nevertheless, the minimum penalty would be eight years.

In the case of Abiel Osorio, the 21-year-old player is charged with sexual abuse with carnal access, facing sentences ranging from six to 15 years in prison.

The case is in the hands of prosecutor Adriana Reinoso Cuello. So far, the file has not been brought to trial, and the accused remain free.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.