Conviction and Initial Sentence
An Argentine court has confirmed the eight-year prison sentence for Aníbal Lotocki, a surgeon found guilty of causing serious injuries to four patients and defrauding another. The ruling, issued by the National Chamber of Criminal Cassation, also upheld a ten-year ban on practicing medicine. The victims include Silvina Luna, Stefanía Xipolitakis, Pamela Sosa, and Gabriela Trenchi, who suffered complications from procedures involving PMMA microspheres.[S1]
The case began with a February 2022 verdict by the Oral Criminal Court No. 28, which sentenced Lotocki to four years in prison and a five-year professional ban. That court found he had injected PMMA in inappropriate areas and amounts, causing lesions and granulomas. The prosecution and plaintiffs appealed, leading to a November 2023 ruling that increased the sentence to eight years and added a fraud conviction for Trenchi's case.[S1][S2]
Appeals and Confirmation
In April 2025, the Chamber's Second Section confirmed the eight-year sentence, rejecting defense arguments. The court emphasized Lotocki's significant breach of medical duties and his exploitation of the doctor-patient relationship. The defense sought to bring the case to the Supreme Court, but in April 2025 the high court rejected one appeal, and in August, the Cassation Chamber dismissed another federal extraordinary appeal.[S1][S2]
Judge Jorge Romeo of the Oral Criminal Court No. 28 ordered Lotocki's preventive detention in this case, arguing he might flee if released. The judge noted that Lotocki is already in preventive detention for another case involving the death of a patient, Rodolfo Christian Zárate, in April 2021. The prosecutor, Sandro Abraldes, had requested the detention to ensure the sentence could be executed.[S2][S3]
Separate Homicide Trial
Lotocki is currently facing a separate trial for the death of Zárate, who died after a surgical procedure. He is accused of homicide with eventual intent and is being tried before the Oral Criminal Court No. 17. At the start of that trial, Lotocki refused to testify. He remains held at the Federal Penitentiary Complex I in Ezeiza.[S1][S3]
