Diego Maradona present a legal battle against his ex-wife for almost $9 million
Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona has accused his ex-wife Claudia Villafane of plundering around $9 million worth of his assets amid the alleged fraud scandal that surfaced in 2015.
The 52-year-old woman is accused of buying three apartments in a luxurious tower in Miami, Florida, United States.
The apartments have been valued at $2 million. She is also accused of having $3 million deposited in a Uruguayan bank. All of these investments went undeclared.
The hand of God has pushed Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona's multimillion-dollar legal battle with his ex-wife into Miami-Dade County.
"I want to show it is true that in a conversation I had with Claudia Villafane, I told her she was a thief. I have also said this publicly on various occasions and during the court proceedings I started against her due to these facts where I was a victim," said the former player for Argentina in the press release.
"I will continue this way even though it breaks my heart not to be able to see my grandson. I will continue to fight," added the former star.
He's suing her for fraud and unjust enrichment in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, hoping to recover funds he believes are kept in South Florida bank accounts.
The retired soccer star asked his wife to oversee his finances during their 14-year marriage, which ended in 2003, according to the Dec. 15 complaint. Maradona struggled with cocaine and other drugs during that time.
Villafa?e sold four of the units, including a unit in the Miami Beach condominium Murano at Portofino that sold at a $1.1 million profit, according to the complaint.
Villafa?e never disclosed the assets during divorce proceedings, Maradona's complaint alleges. In an August 2013 settlement to divide the former couple's assets, Maradona was worth $3.1 million and ended up owing his ex-wife $1.6 million.
An attorney for the defendants, Brian Barakat of Barakat Law in Coral Gables, did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.