MÉRIDA, MEXICO — A prominent real estate businessman has been presented before a judge following his arrest in Mérida, facing serious charges of organized fraud linked to a multi-million peso residential development scandal.

Alfonso Sánchez-Tello Zapata was apprehended on October 6 on Garcia Lavín Avenue. The State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) has officially charged him with “fraud committed in a gang.” While the prosecution has requested that he be formally bound to the process, the court has granted a “duplicity of term,” meaning a final ruling on his legal status is pending until October 10.

During the initial hearing at the First Control Court of the Center of Oral Justice in Mérida, the judge imposed several stringent precautionary measures to ensure the businessman’s cooperation during the judicial process. Sánchez-Tello Zapata is now required to:

Wear an electronic tracking device (GPS monitor);
Provide an economic guarantee of 240,000 pesos;
Refrain from contacting the victim;
Report to the authorities for periodic check-ins;
Remain within the state of Yucatán;
And remain under the surveillance of the State Center of Precautionary Measures.
The investigation stems from a legal dispute involving the “Cittadella” residential development in the northern part of Mérida. According to the criminal case file, Sánchez-Tello Zapata is allegedly involved in a scheme that caused over 50 million pesos in property damage to an individual identified by the initials R.G.F.

The businessman is linked to Inmobiliaria Vertro, S.A. de C.V., the company associated with the Cittadella project. However, the scale of the alleged misconduct appears much larger; investigative reports suggest that Sánchez-Tello Zapata is linked to financial damages totaling approximately 1.5 billion pesos, potentially affecting more than 650 families across Yucatán and other Mexican states.

Sánchez-Tello Zapata, a licensed accountant and graduate of the Universidad Marista de Mérida, has established a significant footprint in the regional real estate sector. As the legal proceedings continue, the prosecution is expected to present evidence supporting the charges, while the defense prepares its response regarding his involvement in the project’s financial irregularities.