Argentinian prosecutors associated opera singer Plácido Domingo with a criminal syndicate in Buenos Aires. The group serves as a pretence for sex trafficking, which includes minors and other crimes.
Authorities have conducted 50 raids against the Buenos Aires group and arrested 19 people. The mob operates under the name of Buenos Aires Yoga School. The authorities recovered 37 properties, and 13 cars and froze the assets of those involved.
Audio Recordings of Plácido Domingo Captured
In Latin America, several broadcast channels have aired audio recording messages acquired by wiretapping. Unfortunately for Plácido Domingo, his voice was captured in the recordings. According to the authorities, it was he who was making plans with the members of the suspected nefarious organisation. The authorities didn’t publicize the date of the said wiretap recordings.
An excerpt from the wiretap recordings shows that Domingo was talking to a woman named “Mendy” with whom he has plans for a sexual encounter. He outlined his plans to leave a separate dinner from his agents as well as other representatives. The plan is to avoid being noticed, so they can meet.
In another message, “Mendy” talked to the purported crime leader of the ring named Juan Percowicz. The call was about celebrating the confirmed plans with Domingo.
In 2019, over 20 women broke their silence and exposed Domingo’s misdemeanour. The accusations prompted him to leave New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Likewise, he stepped down from being California’s LA Opera general director.
After a year, the Washington National Opera removed his name from the young artist early career program. This is where he became the artistic director and later on became the director from 1996 to 2011.
How the Syndicate Operates
Based on initial reports, the Buenos Aires Yoga School (Escuela de Yoga) has approximately victimized 170 people, not including more from abroad. Customers of the crime group’s services would send cash using international currency to the syndicate’s headquarters in Buenos Aires.
The money won’t be noticed because it would be in a form of real estate purchases or legal objects. This kind of approach will conceal evidence and record of money transactions. Numerous news reports suggest that the details of the phone calls are undivulged. Additionally, other recognized figures were not disclosed.
The news came as Domingo performs in Mexico for the first time in a decade. Moreover, it comes only a couple of years after the opera singer was charged with offensive sexual advances by several women.
In 2020, Soprano Luz de Alba denounced the 81-year-old tenor for harassing her for several years, including at his apartment. Allegedly, she accused Domingo of taking her agent away with his wife Marta Domingo serving as an accomplice. Further, de Alba said that her doors are no longer open to any opera houses globally.
Image Source: Klaus Dolle/WikimediaCommons
