Martin Ponteformer Argentine pilot, was pointed out by a series of scams to relevant figures in the motorsports environment. Through a solidarity campaign that raised funds for a child named Nicanorwho needed radiotherapy treatment in the Garrahan HospitalPonte manipulated bank details and asked for money from several motorsport personalities, including prominent drivers such as Franco Colapinto.
The situation broke out when several people involved in the case noticed irregularities in money requests of Ponte. In particular, Franco Colapinto’s father, Aníbal Colapintowas one of the first to notice the fraud and refused to grant the request for money. This scam not only involved motorsport figures, but also left the community shocked by the former driver’s lack of scruples.
How was the motorsport scam that involved Franco Colapinto and other drivers
Martín Ponte’s scam began with a charity campaign that raised funds for Nicanora child with leukemia who needed to travel from Holy Cross to the Garrahan Hospital in Buenos Aires to receive urgent treatment. The former pilot offered to help with the collection, but his true intention was divert funds. For this, changed the bank details from Nicanor’s mother and replaced them with his own, with the aim of receiving the donations into his personal account.
Ponte requested 200 thousand pesos at least 20 people from the motorsport fieldincluding big-name names like Aníbal ColapintoFranco’s father, who, due to Ponte’s background, rejected the request. During a meeting at a farm, several pilots realized that they had all received the same request for money, but with contradictory details about the boy’s identity and his place of origin. Some knew him as Juan Cruz of Concordwhile others identified him as a child of The Pampa. These discrepancies alerted those involved, who began to investigate the case.
This skirmish quickly caused some pilots to begin to suspect that something was not right. It was then that the Ponte trap and the manipulation he had carried out to appropriate the donations.
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The victims of the Martín Ponte scam and the recovery of the money
The scam affected several drivers and motorsport figures, who initially fell for the deception. Manu Urcera, Fernando Chapur, Emanuel Moriatis, Jose Ciantiniand Diego Di Carlo were some of the victims for Ponte’s fraudulent applications. Many of them gave money in the belief that they were collaborating with Nicanor’s cause.
As the situation became clearer, Ruben Salernoone of those in charge of coordinating Nicanor’s cause, warned more people about the fraud through a WhatsApp group called “Historias del Motorismo”. Salerno explained that Ponte already had a history of ask for money without returning itwhich allowed other motorsport actors to take precautions to avoid falling into the same trap. Several of those affected They began to recover the money, sending it directly to the child’s mother, Elianato ensure that the funds reached their destination.
Among the pilots who recovered the money they meet Chapur, Di Carloand Moriatiswho sent the corresponding amounts to Nicanor’s mother, ensuring that the money did not remain in the hands of Ponte.
Franco Colapinto’s great gesture for the cause of Nicanor
Upon learning of the scam and the manipulation of funds by Martín Ponte, Franco Colapinto did not hesitate to get actively involved to save the cause of Nicanor. Through his social networks, he called on his followers to contribute with fundraising for the treatment of the child.
Colapinto’s support was fundamentalsince it allowed us to gather more than two million pesosa sum necessary to cover the costs of Nicanor’s treatment. Franco’s gesture was Featured by the motorsports communitynot only because of his involvement in the cause, but because of the speed with which corrected the damage caused by the scam and helped ensure that funds reached those who truly needed them.
In addition, Eliana, Nicanor’s mother, publicly shared a photography thanking the support received, which reflected how the motorsports community came together to fight for the well-being of a child who needed urgent treatment. Thanks to great gesture of Franco Colapinto, Nicanor’s cause was able to continue successfully, and the boy now has the opportunity to receive the treatment necessary for his recovery.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
