I Took 3 Months Off of OUMERE to Hunt the International Con Men Behind an Elite Polo Ponzi Scheme Part V: As Tyrants Fall

I Took 3 Months Off of OUMERE to Hunt the International Con Men Behind an Elite Polo Ponzi Scheme

Part IV of the story can be read here

The Taqueada Scam

Cipher connected me with a polo club owner in California who, he said, despised Ciro and would tell me everything I needed to know. Finding people who hated Ciro wasn’t difficult — there were plenty, and they all seemed eager to see him go down.

It wasn’t surprising. Like all tyrants, Ciro Desenzani had his moment of glory, where people flocked to him for favors and connections. Using him to sell their horses or to bring wealthy patrons to them. But once his empire began to crumble, even more people were eager to watch his downfall.

When Caesar was at the top, all of Rome amassed to kiss his hand. And when he fell, everyone lined up to stab him in the throat.

When I called the club owner, she explained that she had taken in some of Ciro’s former victims, members of his so-called Taqueada Polo Club. Her account made me feel sick.

What Ciro Desenzani and Michel Dorignac had touted as a legitimate club in the heart of Silicon Valley, complete with state-of-the-art facilities, turned out to be little more than a junkyard with a dirt patch and plot of grass in Gilroy. The fences were chewed up, the field wasn’t level, and there was no proper irrigation. I was told that at one point, the water had to be brought in from out of town in buckets for the horses to drink because there was no water available at Taqueada for them.

It was never truly suitable for polo; horses constantly tripped on the uneven ground, and there was no way to water the field.

Dangerous conditions at Taqueada Polo

The owner went on to describe how Ciro had collected substantial sums of money through investments and memberships before fleeing to Florida. She suggested I speak with “Ruby”, a former Taqueada member, who might be able to share more.

Ruby told me she had boarded a horse at Taqueada during a period of heavy rains in California. The weather had left the stalls and paddock area submerged in mud, sometimes up to the horses’ knees. Instead of addressing the drainage issues or relocating the horses, Ciro confined them in these muddy conditions. Disturbed by this neglect, Ruby told me that she had confided in someone named Zoe about her concerns.

“Zoe?” I asked. “You mean Zoe Cookson?” Ruby confirmed. Ciro had mentioned Zoe to me a few times, but aside from receiving some billing messages from her, I had never seen, met, or really known anything about her. According to Ciro, Zoe was supposedly an ex-girlfriend, though I never believed it. From blasting Whitney Houston in his car, to cringing at Karen’s “vagina” jokes, to suggesting I name my polo team Yellow Rose — it all felt off. Then there was the time he made me watch a girly over the top femme Dior ad featuring Natalie Portman twirling through Paris in a frilly dress — on repeat, as he admired it. No straight man would obsess over an ad like that. I had long suspected Ciro was a closeted homosexual. If Zoe was in his life, she was more likely a beard, carefully chosen to maintain appearances within the conservative polo community.

Ciro and Zoe at Santa Clara

Ciro never said anything nice about Zoe the few times he mentioned her. He would show me a picture of her and say that because she was ugly he deigned himself to be with her. I agreed with Ciro, Zoe was incredibly unattractive. She looked like a scarecrow, only slightly more inbred. Ciro also said that she handled his accounting because she wasn’t good at anything else. He spared no criticism for her and truly seemed embarrassed to be associated with her.

Nothing like writing your own fan mail. Happy birthday, Ciro and Zoe.

Ruby explained that when she voiced her concerns about the horses standing in mud, Zoe had lied, exploiting her English background to claim that in England, horses were accustomed to living in muddy conditions. When Ruby complained about the lack of shelter, with the horses exposed to the blistering sun, Zoe and Ciro’s response was to demand more money, promising to use the funds to buy an awning. They also told her if she wanted to resolve the mud problem, she’d need to pay for sand.

Ruby went on to say that Zoe had told her she was severing ties with Ciro and that Polo United was now solely Ciro and Michel’s venture. Ruby was surprised when I informed her that Zoe was still very much involved.

But how involved was she? Zoe has been a shadowy figure since the beginning of Polo United and her purpose wasn’t clear. Turn over was constant in Polo United, and Ciro and Michel only had a few clients at any given time. Why did they need Zoe to handle their books?

I was then told Zoe might be in England and possibly have a foreign bank account there. As I dug deeper, I discovered that she and Ciro might even be married. Their lavender marriage would make it easier to move funds discreetly out of the U.S., further fueling my suspicion that their partnership was never based on a genuine connection but rather of a transactional nature, a “marriage of convenience” as they call it, to facilitate the movement of money and to protect their schemes.

The more I learned about Zoe, the more she seemed like a California version of Michel. She played the “good cop” role, appearing to be the nice, innocent one whom members could confide in, while secretly relaying information back to Ciro. I began to suspect that she and Ciro had even orchestrated situations for the members to gain sympathy for her, making her seem sad and innocent, thus diverting any suspicion of her involvement in Ciro’s schemes.

There were stories of Zoe complaining about Ciro’s supposed infidelity, but after spending time around him, I believed Ciro had no real interest in women — only a mix of anger and confusion towards them. I once saw him attempt to feign interest at a party by being a textbook sleaze to my friend, Anne. It looked more like Ciro watched a YouTube video on how to be a straight man and was acting it out, poorly. His method acting of the alpha male was about as convincing as Elton John claiming he can get a diamond-hard erection from looking at a Hustler Magazine centerfold.

Ruby went on to tell me that Ciro had even stiffed the workers who were supposed to install the irrigation for the field. In response, they capped the wells, making it impossible to water the grounds. Ciro then took a $60,000 membership from her for another “season” at Taqueada and then fled California.

Taqueada Polo facility

I verified Ruby’s story with other former members who had filed lawsuits against Ciro. They confirmed the fields were decrepit and unsuitable for polo. One member recalled how her horse had broken its leg due to the poor conditions, leading to its euthanasia. Worse still, after Ciro and Zoe assured her that another horse was safe to ride, it threw her off, causing permanent injuries, ending her polo career.

Two other members described the dangerous corrals where the horses were kept. Ciro and Zoe had used cheap wire fencing intended for goats, which posed a constant hazard to the horses. The members said they had to go to the field daily to push the wire back in to prevent injuries. The corals where the horses were kept were filled with piles of dirt. Trash lined the sides of the field. The negligence and lack of expertise in setting up a proper polo facility were nothing short of shocking.

The “state of the art” Taqueada Polo Facility, Gilroy CA

It was also disclosed to me that the horses that these members had in the care of Zoe and Ciro were also neglected. One of their horses they noticed was lying down all day, which Ciro dismissed and rode in a match. The horse had colic and almost died. Ciro and Zoe were not giving the horse access to pasture, causing the agonizing gastrointestinal issues that almost killed it. This verified what Cipher told me about Ciro in Florida, and how he wasn’t giving the horses access to pasture. Often “forgetting what day it was” and leaving the horses in their stalls.

My horses get colic every day — Ciro Desenzani

One member, desperate to leave after witnessing the abuse, found her horse held hostage by Ciro. He blocked the horse in its enclosure with a trailer, refusing to release it until she agreed to sign an NDA, effectively silencing her. It wasn’t an isolated incident; I learned from several sources that Ciro routinely used NDAs to silence those who knew too much.

An NDA does not protect against criminal activity, I had to keep explaining this and I couldn’t understand why no one knew that.

I was also told about Ciro’s lies when it came to horse sales, in addition to trying to sell an old horse as a young one, like he tried to do with Karen at one point, he also claimed he was the US supplier of horses to a particular Asian royal family. When the member contacted the proper references to fact check this statement, it was discovered that this royal family never heard of Ciro.

The members also experienced what Ruby had, a payment for a club “membership” and then Ciro fleeing the state, leaving them bag-holding without a club, refund or answers.

It made me wonder how Ciro, a relative unknown from Chile, and Zoe, equally inconspicuous, had managed to secure the initial funding to rent the field and launch this sham of a club. I was then told that Ciro had been taking investments in the land, falsely claiming he owned it, when he was merely renting.

Ruby then suggested I reach out to Midnight Rose, a name that carried an almost mythical weight within Polo United. Midnight Rose was the figure behind the lawsuits against Ciro and was the source of the first suspicions many of us had about his integrity.

The Night Knows What the Morning Never Suspected

Midnight Rose recounted how Ciro had approached her back in 2017 with a grand proposal: an opportunity to invest in the future of polo by building a state-of-the-art club and facility in Silicon Valley, California. He painted a vivid picture of an elite establishment, featuring professional-grade polo fields, luxury stables, and a world-class training program that would rival any in the country. The offer was enticing, presented as not just a chance to make a significant financial investment but also to help create something extraordinary.

Midnight Rose invested heavily — $100,000 in Taqueada Polo California LLC, plus a $50,000 loan to Ciro. Ciro alleged that the project was worth over $1.2 million, and Midnight was assured that her 10% membership stake would yield substantial returns once the club was fully operational. A claim Ciro was not legally allowed to make.

As an investor, Midnight was entitled to view the financial records, but her repeated requests for transparency were stonewalled. Ciro and Zoe, the supposed manager of Taqueada, kept crucial financial details hidden, denying her any clear picture of where the funds were going or how they were being used.

Meanwhile, the club quickly began to struggle with cash flow. Lacking credit of their own, Ciro and Zoe turned to Midnight, who agreed to help by taking out business credit cards to cover some of the operating expenses. But those credit cards soon became a vehicle for misuse. Midnight discovered that Ciro and Zoe had been deliberately hiding the monthly statements from her, a tactic used to obscure the fact that they were making personal purchases rather than covering legitimate business costs.

Midnight’s findings confirmed what others had told me: none of the investment money had been used to build the prestigious club promised to her. There was no irrigation, the horse corrals were chewed up and deteriorating, and the field itself was a disaster — completely unfit for polo. This wasn’t a start-up club struggling to get off the ground; it was a full-fledged polo investment scam.

I analyzed all of the documents from the Taqueada club and then coupled with documents I was given from other sources, Im not a lawyer but in my opinion it looks like there were no fewer than 10 felonies committed by Ciro Desenzani and Zoe Cookson. Everything from securities fraud, to embezzlement to obstruction of justice:

1. Illegal Solicitation of Investment-Under the Securities Act of 1933, it is illegal to offer or sell securities (in this case, membership interests in the LLC) without proper registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or a valid exemption.

• No registration was filed, and no exemptions were sought for Taqueada Polo, making this an unregistered securities offering.

2. Fraudulent Promises and Misrepresentation- Ciro sent Midnight an email confirming that she could expect to make a profit from her investment. He assured her that the funds would be used for specific purposes, like renting land and building the club.

• Under Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, it is illegal to use fraudulent means to offer or sell securities. The promise of profits without disclosing risks or providing financial documentation constitutes securities fraud.

3. Improper Handling of LLC Formation- Taqueada Polo California LLC was formed, but Midnight was not given proper access to the company’s financial records, even though she was a member-owner.

• California Corporations Code Section 17704.10 requires that all LLC members be provided with access to the company’s financial records. The failure to do so was a violation of state corporate law.

4. Misuse of Investment Funds- Midnight made an initial capital contribution and took out business credit cards to cover expenses for the club, including corral fees and horse training.

• Ciro and his partner, Zoe Cookson, used the credit cards for personal purchases unrelated to the club, and Ciro requested that some payments be funneled into his personal bank account. This constituted fraudulent conversion and embezzlement, as the investment funds were diverted for personal gain.

5. Breach of Fiduciary Duty- Despite repeated requests, Ciro and Zoe continued to deny Midnight access to the financial statements and credit card records.

• This was a breach of fiduciary duty under California law, as the managing members of the LLC have a legal obligation to act in the best interest of the company and its members.

6. Failure to Disclose Risks and Illegal Guarantees- As Midnight continued to invest money into the club, no financial disclosures were provided to her about the risks involved in the investment.

• Making assurances about profits without disclosing the inherent risks is considered fraudulent inducement and violates federal securities law.

7. Use of Investor Funds for Personal Expenses- Midnight discovered that expenses she thought were being used for the polo club were, in fact, going towards personal purchases by Ciro and Zoe.

• The misuse of funds for personal gain constitutes embezzlement and fraudulent misrepresentation.

8. Sale of Membership Interests Without Disclosure- Ciro attempted to buy back Midnight’s 10% membership interest in the LLC without providing a clear financial picture or disclosing the state of the company.

• The lack of transparency and misleading representations violated California and federal securities laws, as proper disclosures are required for such transactions.

9. Tax Evasion- Ciro failed to pay taxes on the income and transactions related to the polo club. The IRS delinquency indicated ongoing tax issues since 2021.

• Federal tax laws require timely payment and filing of taxes. The failure to comply with these requirements constitutes tax evasion, a criminal offense.

10. Fleeing the State to Avoid Legal Consequences

• Ciro left California in an apparent attempt to evade legal consequences, including multiple lawsuits and potential criminal charges.

• Leaving the state to avoid litigation or prosecution can be considered obstruction of justice and may lead to additional penalties or charges.

11. Animal Neglect

• Horses were kept in knee-deep mud, deprived of proper pasture, which contributed to colic and other health issues.

• These conditions reflect animal neglect under California Penal Code Section 597, which requires proper care for animals, including adequate shelter and food.

12. Negligence with Field Maintenance- Ciro and Zoe neglected to properly maintain the polo field, which led to hazardous conditions, causing horses to stumble and resulting in injuries to members.

• California law mandates that businesses offering equestrian services maintain safe conditions. Failing to do so can constitute gross negligence.

13. Use of NDA’s to intimidate victims and to obstruct justice- Ciro’s use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence his victims not only deepened the deception but also violated multiple laws. By coercing his victims into signing NDAs with the intent of preventing them from reporting his criminal activities — such as fraud and embezzlement — Ciro ran afoul of both federal and state statutes designed to protect whistleblowers and uphold justice.

• 18 U.S. Code § 1512, it is a federal crime to intimidate or corruptly persuade someone to withhold information from law enforcement regarding illegal activities. By using NDAs as a weapon to silence his victims and block them from communicating with authorities, Ciro violated this statute, which carries severe penalties, including significant prison time.

• Ciro’s attempts to use NDAs to shield himself from accountability directly contravened California Civil Code Section 1668, which renders any contract that seeks to exempt a person from responsibility for fraud or illegal conduct void and unenforceable. In other words, these NDAs were legally invalid, and Ciro’s efforts to use them to suppress whistleblowing amounted to further illegal activity.

• Additionally, under federal whistleblower protection laws, such as the Dodd-Frank Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, individuals are explicitly safeguarded against retaliation when reporting fraud or other violations. These laws prioritize transparency and protect those who come forward to authorities like the FBI or SEC. Ciro’s use of NDAs to stifle reports of securities fraud was a direct violation of these protections

And then there’s Tax Fraud

After speaking with other witnesses of the Taqueada investment scam, I uncovered another pattern in Ciro’s deception. I was told that he would manipulate the balance sheets to make the company appear as though it was operating at a loss. Doing so would allow him to avoid paying dividends to investors while justifying hefty bonuses for himself.

Even more alarming was the IRS delinquency notice I uncovered, suggesting Ciro may have been underreporting his income. Taqueada Polo had generated over $1,000,000 in revenue during at least one of its operating years, yet the tax document I saw appeared to show a much lower figure. If this is accurate, Ciro wasn’t just deceiving his investors — he was also defrauding the government.

The Taqueada Polo Club was a sham from the start, not even legally permitted to sell securities. Yet somehow, Midnight’s California lawyers saw no issue with it. They simply reviewed the paperwork, gave their approval, and moved on. I couldn’t help but cradle my head in my hands and think, What the fuck?

I went back to Ruby, who had also sought legal recourse for the funds she lost — stolen — from Taqueada. Her lawyers gave her the runaround, treating it like she had buyer’s remorse over a bad car purchase, and discouraged her from filing suit. And for the others I spoke with, it was more of the same. When I first informed my lawyer about everything that was happening, he told me I needed to take this information to the police. But when I asked Ruby and the others if they had reported it to the authorities or if their lawyers had even suggested doing so, the answer was always the same: No.

I interviewed many Taqueada victims who sought legal recourse, only to be failed by their counsel — either through discouragement of a legitimate lawsuit or through a basic failure to understand the law. These California lawyers, who should have been protecting their clients, overlooked the blatant fact that some Chilean thug had no legal standing to sell investment shares in an unregistered company. It was a staggering display of incompetence that left victims vulnerable, highlighting just how crucial it is to find adequate legal representation to protect your rights and the rights of others.

In stark contrast, Midnight Rose refused to be silenced. She was adamant in her pursuit of justice, and because she found strong representation in Florida, she was able to file her lawsuit against Ciro. It was her persistence and legal action that allowed us Polo United members to discover her case and begin to question Ciro’s schemes. Midnight’s lawsuit was the first crack in the facade, planting the seeds of doubt that eventually led to the unraveling of his entire operation. Without her, Ciro’s con would have likely continued unchecked, protected by layers of legal failure and deceit.

When I shared my findings from what happened in California with Karen, including the multiple felonies Ciro had committed, she asked why he wasn’t in jail. I explained that no one in California had reported what had happened. If you have a bike stolen and don’t file a report, the police aren’t going to be out there searching for a bike thief. A crime goes unpunished if no one steps forward to expose it. It’s why figures like P. Diddy can get away with decades of abuse before anyone is held accountable — because the avalanche of truth only starts when someone finally files a lawsuit or speaks up.

Cowardice Makes the Rat Bigger

I was advised to talk to another former member of Taqueada, Beck Mason. When I reached out, he took his time to respond. When he finally did, he told me Ciro had left California owing him a significant amount of money — about $70,000. But what he revealed next made my blood run cold: Ciro had taken three of Beck’s horses and disappeared with them. One of those horses was Tully — the very horse Ciro had tried to sell me back in February.

It became clear that Ciro had stolen Tully, transported her across state lines, and tried to sell her.

Remember this?

For a brief moment, Beck seemed determined to get Tully back. I told him I would help track her down, share the address with him, and notify the authorities that someone had tried to sell me a stolen horse, so they could facilitate her return. But there was a problem — Beck had never reported Tully stolen. He was “too embarrassed” to do so.

The situation was dire. Midnight Rose had told me about a similar experience with Ciro. He had taken her horse, “Goldie”, allegedly for use at Taqueada. When Midnight couldn’t locate Goldie, she aggressively pressured Ciro to return her. When Goldie finally came back, she was emaciated and covered in lacerations — starved and abused.

This wasn’t an isolated incident. A source in California confirmed that before fleeing the state, Ciro had taken clients’ horses to a farm in Indio, California, where he abandoned them.

It’s clear that Ciro’s neglect and abuse were part of a larger pattern. He wasn’t just a reckless sack of garbage ; he was a massive serial offending piece of animal abusing shit, harming and abandoning horses whenever it suited him.

My frustration with Beck was severe when I gave him all the information he needed to recover Tully, including contacts for the local police and my offer to help retrieve her. His response? “Ok, I’m heading out to dinner, will be in touch.” After that — radio silence.

I kept pursuing him, giving him updates for many days about Tully. Nothing.

This kind of pathetic cowardice is exactly why I left California. It’s ingrained in the culture to avoid getting involved, even when it’s morally right. It’s a mindset where some effete capricious milksop will put more value on his swanky European vacation or his little night out than with protecting a horse that he was responsible for, even from a potentially deadly fate.

I shouldn’t have been the one caring more about Tully than her own owner did. I didn’t want another horse to suffer, didn’t want another one to die because of someone’s apathy. I confided in a friend, and he told me what I’d heard told to me too many times before: “You can’t save them all.” The words hit me like a slap, and it took everything I had not to punch my fist through the nearest glass.

That California coward made me angry.

Gotham Story

I went back into the forest with Sensei the following morning, we had a routine that we had grown accustomed to and fond of in a quick amount of time, and had developed a familial relationship. Forest riding in the morning, polo in the afternoon.

As I was riding Gastona, and holding onto Maggie with the lead rope, I stood up in the saddle and was able to do it without falling back. Sensei looked back and smiled and said “that makes me very happy, my girl.”

When we emerged from the forest, we entered a sprawling countryside of tall grass. Sensei rode ahead, fast, and called for me to follow. I hesitated — it wasn’t a polo field but a vast open grassland, and I wasn’t on Maggie, but Gastona, a larger mare. Still, I leaned forward, squeezed with my legs, and we took off. With a kick, Gastona surged forward, and we galloped across the North Salem countryside — the cowboy, the archangel, and their horses. I glanced at Maggie, bouncing happily along at a canter, which was something I had never seen her do before. “Maggie is bouncing!” I shouted to Sensei. He just laughed and kept riding; he had seen it all.

Back at the barn, we indulged in Sensei’s favorite pastime — what he called “bullshitting for a bit,” a casual chat session filled with gossip and light-hearted talk before getting back to work.

Over the past few weeks, I had come to the farm daily, getting to know Sensei. I hadn’t mentioned Michel before, waiting for the topic to come up naturally. Finally, it did when Sensei spoke of an upcoming match Michel was playing with The Boss. I saw my chance. I told Sensei how Michel had threatened to have me kicked out of the barn whenever he wanted. Sensei’s response was immediate: he didn’t think much of Michel. It occurred to me that the two hadn’t spoken during the match when I first met Sensei.

He opened up with saying how ridiculous the spectacle was at the match that day. He said Michel and Ciro paid no attention to me, Sugar Daddy, or the other students, and just had us riding around without instruction. He disliked what he saw and mentioned how Ciro and Michel were just wrapped up in their own play, and seemingly forgot that they were there with the purpose of teaching others, and not playing for themselves.

Sensei then shared stories spanning many years of Michel’s questionable behavior — from mismanaging his wife’s money to selling substandard horses to The Boss, a man who had employed him and been good to him for years. He portrayed Michel as a deceitful opportunist, a man who wore a charming facade to manipulate those around him.

Two Face and Archangel — Before the masks came off

It was the first time I had heard someone speak so openly about Michel’s duplicity. While I had seen his two-faced nature firsthand, others dismissed my observations, fooled by his outward charm and “Aw shucks” demeanor. But Sensei knew better. Michel had worked for The Boss for nearly two decades, and Sensei had been there the entire time, watching from the background. With nothing to offer Michel, Sensei had seen the real man behind the mask.

Hell is empty, the demons are here

Later, back at the cottage, I sat outside and revisited the old Taqueada Polo Instagram page. I wanted to learn more about this dubious operation. As I scrolled past countless photos of Ciro, a clown obsessed with his own image, I stumbled across a few images of Michel. He had once mentioned that he would fly to California to play a match at Ciro’s request, but he hadn’t told me he was interviewed by a polo press outlet called Click Polo.

The interview linked to a longer article in which Michel spoke highly of Taqueada Polo, praising its “potential” as a premier polo club in Silicon Valley. He claimed to have known Ciro for ten years in Argentina, contradicting the story Ciro told Taqueada members that they had been childhood friends. The childhood friends story was impossible; Ciro was from Chile, Michel was from Argentina, and their relationship timeline kept shifting. In fact, Michel had once told me they met in California about a decade ago. Now, in this article, he suggested their connection began earlier.

The phrases Michel used in the interview didn’t sound like him. “Ciro saw the potential that no one else did before, not only in the sport but also in the commercial aspect of developing polo in Silicon Valley,” the article quoted him as saying. “Silicon Valley is the global mecca of all tech companies, and this club is very close to it.” Michel wasn’t someone who spoke like that. His English was rudimentary at best, and he often asked me to explain what certain words meant. It was as if someone else — a native English speaker — had fed him these lines. Someone like Zoe.

Michel is the asshole in the black hat.

Then I found what seemed like a smoking gun: Michel said, “Taqueada is a very nice club…It has a very nice field with good irrigation, good sand, and I know that Ciro plans to expand it to build a new field.” There it was — irrigation. The word everyone used to highlight what Taqueada Polo lacked. And here was Michel, who wasn’t a land developer or an engineer, talking about irrigation in a way that seemed beyond his grasp. It was as if he had been coached to say these things, likely by Ciro and Zoe, to cover up the club’s glaring deficiencies and keep the facade intact for current and prospective investors.

It just couldn’t be denied anymore. Michel was complicit all along. And like I said to myself weeks prior, he must have seen the poor condition of the Polo United horses and known there was an issue and ignored it. With Taqueada, there is no way he, an international professional polo player who has played at the best clubs in the world could look at the Taqueada hell hole junk yard, with all of its problems and abuses, nod his head and say, “this is good”.

“Taqueada is a very nice club. It has a very nice field...” -Michel Dorignac

His role in the bad horse sales only confirmed this. An interview with a California witness who had observed the Taqueada scam verified what Sensei had told me. Michel had a history of selling substandard horses, passing off those he couldn’t unload on professionals to Ciro. Ciro, in turn, marketed them to Taqueada members at heavily inflated prices, assuring buyers that a veterinary check was unnecessary. The horses would arrive lame, drugged, and in need of treatment, at which point Ciro charged the members exorbitantly for boarding, training, and medical care, further exploiting their investment.

Later, I spoke to the owner of a polo club in California, a polo player herself and someone from a long family lineage of polo players. She told me that within five minutes of meeting Ciro, she knew he was a phony. Michel, also coming from an extensive polo background, having spent his entire life in the sport, couldn’t possibly have been unaware of Ciro’s misrepresentations. The idea that he didn’t know Ciro was lying about being a top-tier player, a world-class horseman and a polo entrepreneur is ridiculous. Michel knew. He always knew. And he chose to align himself with Ciro for a reason.

Michel’s decision to align with Ciro wasn’t just self-interest — it was also an act of ruthless betrayal. Feeding false information to the press and lending his professional credibility to Taqueada was bad enough, but I learned something that took things to a new level of deceit. When Taqueada was crumbling under the weight of lawsuits and financial ruin, instead of letting the disaster die, Michel and Ciro hatched a truly diabolical plan. I was told the two of them conspired to sell the failing, criminal operation to Michel’s own cousin who had no idea about the legal chaos and criminal activity he was being set up to inherit.

Michel’s moral bankruptcy reached new depths with what I uncovered. He didn’t just stand by while Ciro fled Taqueada in the middle of the night, abandoning the club and making off with stolen funds — Michel was an accomplice. If what I was told was true, then he actively helped orchestrate the plan to offload the failing, criminal operation onto his unsuspecting cousin, setting him up to take the fall for their crimes.

To make things worse, Michel was likely aware of past abuse of Ciro onto his cousin. I was told Ciro didn’t pay the cousin what he was owed for work, delaying payments until the cousin had no choice but to return to Argentina, at which point he only received half of what was promised. If what I was told was true, Michel allowed such abuse to happen, showing his willingness to betray anyone.

The vibrant, thriving, grand facility of Taqueada Polo, taken October 2024

I later learned that Michel had told Karen back in May that Ciro had sold Taqueada for $650,000, supposedly to pay out the members and focus entirely on Polo United in Wellington, Florida. This was a stark contrast to what Michel later told me in July, that evening at my cabin after I confronted Ciro on the field about what I knew about his past, where he claimed he had convinced Ciro to keep Taqueada in operation. For weeks afterward, both Michel and Ciro swore up and down that the club was still running.

This was a calculated game they played — crafting lies tailored to whoever they were trying to deceive in the moment. They built entire false narratives, adjusting the story based on who was listening, manipulating their victims with precision. This wasn’t just the occasional lie; it was an entire architecture of deceit, constructed to keep people in the dark while they continued their fraudulent schemes.

Through my interviews, I learned more about Michel than I ever imagined, watching the mask he wore slowly peel away to reveal the grotesque, two-faced monster I had once shared a bed with. From his extramarital affairs to hiding the existence of his children, to scamming his patron of 20 years and ultimately betraying his own cousin, Michel’s moral failures ran far deeper than shady business dealings. He wasn’t merely complicit in the great Polo Ponzi Scheme— he was an active participant as those terrible things unfolded, proving he had no loyalty, no honor, and no sense of familial duty. His complete disregard for the well-being of his own family, much less the people he deceived and exploited, exposed him as a man utterly devoid of integrity. Throughout all of my time, effort and research I believe one thing for sure in all of this: Michel Dorignac is a morally bankrupt conman, without character or conscience, driven solely by self-preservation, lust and greed.

“‘Enormous potential’ — to con everyone.

After I finished my investigative work from the cabin, I went to Gotham that afternoon. Sensei, The Boss, JB and another man were playing polo out in the grass field. They told me to join them, I rode Maggie onto the field and immediately scored a goal. The Boss said “wow and she just started playing polo!” The Boss’ kind comment meant a lot to me. As we continued on, the rains fell down soaking us and the horses, but we played on until it was dark.

Sensei went back to the Dominican Republic and I knew it was time for me to go home, back to Florida.

Would the Real USPA Please Stand Up

The U.S. Polo Association, that august body meant to safeguard the sport’s integrity, sanctioned the Taqueada Club. Their stamp of approval gave Ciro’s operation an air of credibility that helped him lure investors, amass clients, and build the façade of a legitimate enterprise. But when members raised alarms — about neglected horses, human trafficking, and violations — the USPA did nothing meaningful. And their inaction let Ciro pack up his circus of cons and take it across the country to start the whole dirty show again.

Why didn’t they stop him?

Money. My opinion at least. As long as Taqueada was a sanctioned club, the USPA was happy to collect its dues, reinforcing the illusion of legitimacy. But when Ciro stopped paying, they didn’t send investigators or raise alarms — they just called about the unpaid fees. One of those calls went to Andi, a Polo United member who had listed her club association under Taqueada since Polo United wasn’t even registered with the USPA. Instead of recognizing this as a glaring warning sign, Andi continued to pour money into Ciro’s operation, paying membership dues and even loaning him more cash. It was like watching someone toss buckets of water onto a sinking ship, oblivious that the water was coming from the ocean itself.

Ciro wasn’t skilled at polo, but what he lacked in talent, he made up for in his ability to find naive people willing to hand him money.

The witnesses to Taqueada that I interviewed told me that they had discussions with the US Polo Association’s personnel and their grand solution was to let Ciro run out of money and he will “disappear” never to be seen from again. That worked well, he disappeared from California with money and stolen horses to start the con all over again in Florida.

I contacted the US Polo Association myself, both filling out their online animal welfare forms to detail the abuse of the horses and to explain I witnessed human trafficking and a massive financial scam. Their response was along the lines of, we let the club owner know and we can’t help with much else, you do it.

Their e-mail. It was pathetic. It was sleazy. The kind you’d expect from a governing body that governs nothing. It cemented my belief that the USPA is no longer the venerable institution of an ancient and prestigious sport; it’s a cocktail party, a glorified money pit where dues are collected, ethics are optional, and the wealthy elite sip champagne upon a grand pile of steaming horseshit.

The US Polo Association is notably litigious, especially when it comes to defending its trademarks. If they devoted even half as much effort to safeguarding the integrity of polo as they do to protecting their merchandise, I doubt any of this would have unfolded. I suppose there isn’t as much money in protecting a player and their horse as there is in protecting the financial interest of the image of a player and their horse on a branded cotton blend jacket.

I tried to figure out why the USPA did so little here, it seemed like there was an effort to safeguard the evil doers and silence the victims. Karen and I ended up suing Ciro and Michel in October, and their lawyer was a man named Avery Chapman.

I remembered Avery, I met him at Santa Clara on the field in the spring, I believe around the time when Ciro was getting sued by Taqueada victims. Avery serves as Ciro and Michel’s registered agent for Polo United, which not only connects him to their business, but makes him an integral figure in allowing it to operate because a business cannot maintain LLC status in Florida without a designated registered agent.

I researched Avery’s CV which he provides on his website and he has a long-standing association and significant involvement in the US Polo Association, including sitting on several USPA committees including a committee for Equine Welfare.

Part of the Curriculum Vitae for Avery Chapman

I was told by a victim that Avery was also the one who drafted and issued the NDA that silenced the Taqueada members who sued Ciro in May 2024, the NDA, I was told was a condition for settlement. In my view, this NDA wasn’t just a legal document — it was a intimidation tool, and I believe the NDA discouraged those victims from warning others and enabling Ciro to seamlessly shift his operations from California to Florida, leaving a trail of unchecked crimes in his wake.

After Ciro and Michel were served with their lawsuits, one of Ciro’s cronies posted images on Instagram of Ciro, Michel and Avery together on the polo field for a match.

Back in Florida, I reached out to Andi and told her the entire operation was a sham. I told her that Ciro had tried to sell me a stolen horse named Tully. After a moment of silence, Andi revealed that she had purchased investment shares in a bulk group of horses, and Tully’s name was on the list. Ciro hadn’t just stolen a horse and transported it across state lines; he had committed securities fraud by selling investment shares in stolen property. With Ciro, the deceit seemed absolutely endless.

Shortly after my return, Cipher sent me an Instagram post featuring Ciro and Sugar Daddy in Morocco, attending a week-long polo extravaganza at La Palmeraie Polo Club, a prestigious facility owned by the Hermès family. And then I saw another picture, Michel and Zoe were there too.

Ciro the Zero

As I analyzed everything I had uncovered about Ciro, I couldn’t help but wonder — what was the whole point of it all? The elaborate lies, the hoaxes, the fake clubs, the Ponzi Scheme. It couldn’t have been just about money. Ciro wasn’t a big spender. He lived modestly, almost pitifully, for someone who had scammed so much. There had to be something deeper driving him. And then it struck me — the whole operation wasn’t just about conning people out of their money. It was about building a world where Ciro could be something he knew, deep down, he never really was.

Ciro’s entire life seemed to be a web of grandiose fabrications, spun together to compensate for what he lacked in actual talent. One afternoon at Polo United, he gathered us all around to regale us with his latest tale — a story of his past as a child prodigy pianist. According to Ciro, he had been taught by his famous pianist father and performed in grand concert halls across Argentina. But when his father died, he claimed he had to switch from playing the piano to playing polo in order to feed his family.

It was a touching story — except it wasn’t true. The problem was, Ciro wasn’t even from Argentina; he was from Chile. He seemed to forget the details of his own lie when he once told me that he and his mother don’t speak to each other, making it impossible to believe he had ever been some devoted son trying to support his family through the sport of kings. His piano story was just one of many fabrications he crafted to paint a picture of himself as someone far more extraordinary than reality would allow.

Ciro’s entire strategy revolved around finding gullible, wealthy patrons — people who couldn’t tell a low-goaler from a top-level professional. He banked on their ignorance, using it to elevate his own status. At Taqueada, he targeted a member much like he later targeted Sugar Daddy, exploiting their enthusiasm for the sport. He had the member fly him around the country under the pretense of finding sponsors for the club.

But I have come to believe the club was just a front; it was all about finding Ciro sponsors so he could worm his way into matches that his skill level would never otherwise warrant.

Ciro found a way to pull off his con, tricking wealthy novices into believing they were part of an exclusive polo operation. This scam allowed him to infiltrate top venues like the Greenwich Polo Club and even attend a week-long event at Morocco’s La Palmeraie Polo Club. There he was, playing alongside respected figures and mingling with high society — people he’d never share the field with on merit alone. Without his elaborate deceptions, Ciro wouldn’t come close to those arenas, let alone compete among true professionals like Mariano Aguerre. It was all an illusion, built on lies, that allowed him to rub shoulders with the elite while concealing how out of his depth he truly was.

The reality is, Ciro doesn’t have a real team or a steady spot in any polo lineup. If he does manage to get into a match, it’s because a team needed a low-handicap player to fill a slot — nothing more.

When I tracked his movements, I never saw the determination or dedication of a serious athlete. Instead, his days consisted of sleeping in late at a budget motel, lounging around at a grocery store for hours, and occasionally making an appearance at the field if there happened to be a lesson. There was no routine of training or daily riding, no sign of a man working tirelessly to improve his game. He just drifted aimlessly, never putting in the effort to truly belong among the ranks of serious players.

Ciro’s scam was brilliantly orchestrated, in a twisted way. He figured out how to exploit the desires and ignorance of others to claw his way into prestigious matches without ever being a good player. He built an illusion around himself, using lies about his background, connections, and skill to construct a fake life where he could pretend to be something he was not. It was all a hoax — one grand, elaborate scheme to con his way into the polo world, because no legitimate team would have him otherwise.

Beneath all the lies, it became clear that Ciro was a failure at the one thing he loved most. At a subconscious level, he must have known this; his handicap was 2 goals, just barely enough to be considered a professional. In the world of elite polo, that’s scraping the bottom of the barrel. He couldn’t hold his own against the true professionals and was only ever impressive when pitted against beginners who didn’t know any better. The whole Taqueada and Polo United operations weren’t about teaching people the sport or creating a legitimate club. It was an elaborate, abusive scam designed to shoehorn a talentless polo playing potato into prestigious matches where he would otherwise never belong.

An Uncertain Future

It seems that as of now there is not much of a Polo United. Ciro and Michel do not appear to have secured a long-term field at Santa Clara, and many members had already departed. With Ciro in exile from California, Michel relying on sponsors in Florida, and limited polo communities in the U.S., their options are dwindling.

If I had to predict their next move, it would involve focusing on Sugar Daddy. They’d likely pitch Polo United as centered entirely around him, claiming that his “improvement” warranted their exclusive attention. They will charge inflated professional fees, overcharge for mediocre horses, and prioritize networking over actual training. But the illusion can only last so long. Once Sugar Daddy realizes he is paying a premium for smoke and mirrors — everything will collapse.

Afterward, Ciro, Michel, and possibly Zoe will probably flee to Argentina, like the Nazis who found refuge there after the war. They may burrow into some hideaway like the vermin they are and lay low for a while. Michel might eventually return, but if Ciro isn’t’ behind bars, he will most likely never set foot in America again, fearing what might be waiting for him.

Flower of the Time

On the long drive back to Florida, I had plenty of time to reflect on everything that had happened over the past several months. I’d seen terrible things committed by terrible people, but through my investigation and those solitary nights in the cabin, I began to uncover a deeper meaning in it all. The nights were dark out there, far from city lights, where every star in the sky seemed within reach. With no cell phone reception, I’d lie in the cool grass, working to piece together the truth of what I’d witnessed. By the edge of the lake, looking into the forest, I’d think about what happens when people let evil persist unchecked, and what could be done to stop it.

When I would ride Maggie through the hillside, when we hit great speed, it was special bond we shared. Polo brought me that bond with a beautiful animal.

And when I think about what brought me to polo, it was Peter Pan. I thought about why I broke up with him. At his core he was a deeply selfish and broken man who only cared about himself. Throughout my time with Polo United, I kept encountering the same kind of men — selfish and corrupt, who would watch the world crumble to dust as long as their pockets were lined, indifferent to the flames they fanned.

I remembered the moment I knew it was over between me and Peter Pan. He was always boasting about his wealth and travels, never once asking what I wanted or what he could do for me. It was always about what he wanted, what I needed to give to him. I never asked him for anything, except once. One day, after bragging about knowing every corner of Florida, I showed him an album cover depicting a woman sitting at the water’s edge in a mythical forest, and asked him if he knew of a place in Florida like this, and if he could show me where it was. He said yes, but never did.

I went out into the forest to discover something, and I did. But I didn’t need Peter Pan to take me there. I found it myself.

Next time, Part 6: The Leak

Related profile: Zoe Cookson