What happened
The Puccio family operated a kidnapping-for-ransom scheme from an affluent home in San Isidro during Argentina’s return to democracy.
The investigation
Victims were held inside the family property while relatives negotiated payments. Police broke the operation after monitoring the group during a later kidnapping.
What the courts or investigators concluded
Patriarch Arquímedes Puccio and several accomplices were convicted. Some kidnapped victims had been killed even after ransom negotiations.
Why the case remains significant
The case became emblematic because violent organized crime was hidden behind the façade of a conventional upper-middle-class household.
Case context
Crime by Region organizes cases geographically so readers can move from one file to other investigations from the same country. For unresolved or contested cases, the wording above reflects the distinction between confirmed events, investigative theories and findings actually established in court.