Fernando Sabag Montiel has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to assassinate ex-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in 2022 and a further four for possession and distribution of child abuse images.

His accomplice, Brenda Uliarte, was sentenced to eight years and two months in prison for being a “necessary participant” in the attempted murder.

The attack happened on September 1, 2022, outside Kirchner’s flat in the Recoleta neighborhood, when she was vice president of Argentina. The trial hearings began six months ago. Nicolás Carrizo also stood trial on charges that he acted as an accomplice, but was acquitted on Wednesday. 

The maximum sentence Sabag Montiel could have received for the assassination attempt was 15 years. The judges will explain why they gave a shorter sentence in December, when they issue a document detailing the reasons for their ruling.

During the final hearing, Sabag Montiel used his final words to deny accusations that he had possessed material of child sexual abuse and said the attempted murder case “was staged.” He also accused Carrizo’s lawyer of planting a gun at his home. Uliarte decided not to speak at the hearing.

Sabag Montiel was convicted of attempted murder, aggravated by the use of a firearm. The judges decided to unify this conviction with his sentence of four years and three months, issued in May, for possession and distribution of child abuse images. This means he will serve one 14-year sentence.

The night of the attack, Sabag Montiel snuck between supporters who had gathered outside Kirchner’s home and aimed a gun at Kirchner’s face at point blank range. The gun was loaded and fully functional, but did not fire when he pulled the trigger. Uliarte was with him at the moment of the attack. The two, who were in a relationship at the time, attempted to flee the scene together. During the trial, Uliarte attempted to pin all the blame on Sabag Montiel.

Sabag Montiel, Uliarte and Carrizo were part of what came to be known as the “Cotton Candy Gang” because they used to sell the sweet treat on the streets. The case investigated potential ties with right-wing parties and violent far-right group Revolución Federal, as well as with deputy Gerardo Milman, whom a witness accused of talking about the attack before it happened. However, these suspicions were not addressed in the sentence. Investigations into Milman have been closed.

Kirchner has criticized the decision to limit the current trial to Sabag Montiel and called for a deeper probe into the potential masterminds of the crime.

Sabag Montiel was also convicted of illegally carrying a heavy-grade weapon, which was used in the attack. The court rejected requests from the prosecutors to take gender-based violence into consideration in the conviction, and also dismissed the defendants’ request to be declared unable to bear criminal responsibility due to mental health.