Former queen accused of defrauding an elderly person to obtain a millionaire fortune

Colombia: The former beauty queen of Santander, María Claudia Peñuela Cornejo, is under the scrutiny of justice after being accused by the Attorney General's Office of the Nation for allegedly taking advantage of the mental conditions of an older adult to obtain a millionaire fortune in properties.

According to the investigation, Peñuela and her mother, María Elvira Cornejo de Peñuela, are accused of having induced the negotiation and transfer, by way of purchase and sale, of several properties belonging to Miguel Alfonso Nieto Pallares, who suffered from a mental disorder and cancer. terminal. The transferred assets would have a value greater than 1,500 million pesos ($400,000 USD approximately).

The case dates back to 2016, when Nieto Pallares and his wife decided to sell the Sampayo Building, located in an exclusive area of the city of Bucaramanga, to three buyer brothers. However, in a series of subsequent events, the elderly couple would have been the victim of alleged deception by Peñuela and her mother.

The investigations reveal that, taking advantage of Nieto Pallares' vulnerability, Peñuela and his mother managed to obtain ownership of a parking space, an office and a residential space, all part of the Sampayo Building, for an approximate value of 1.5 billion pesos. .

The situation becomes even more complicated when it is discovered that the business was carried out in complicity with the Ortiz brothers, who, according to testimonies, had deceived Nieto Pallares by taking him to a notary office to sign the property transfer documents, while he suffered the ravages of his illness. .

The accusations presented by the Prosecutor's Office against the former queen and her mother are serious, since it is considered that both were fully aware of Nieto Pallares' vulnerable condition and the damage that his actions could cause. If found guilty, they could face up to 12 years in prison.