PLANO, Texas — Shackled and dressed in a gray-striped prison uniform, businessman Federico “Fred” Machado gave me a big thumbs-up as I entered the courtroom — a surprising gesture from a man who had just been extradited from Argentina after a four-year legal fight to avoid facing U.S. charges.

Machado, once known as a confident international aviation entrepreneur, faces decades in prison if convicted of drug-smuggling, money-laundering and wire-fraud charges. Prosecutors say he ran a Ponzi-style scheme built on bogus airplane deals and helped hide aircraft in anonymous U.S. trusts used by drug traffickers — allegations first exposed in WFAA’s Broken Trust investigation.

During Friday’s hearing in Plano, Machado’s attorney, Jamie Hoxie Solano, told the judge her client needs immediate

See Full Page