They lured wealthy foreign clients online and "palmed off" them with fictitious vintage luxury vehicles, collecting large sums before disappearing. This was the modus operandi of a criminal conspiracy uncovered by the Carabinieri of the San Valentino Torio station. Pursuant to a precautionary measure issued by the investigating judge of Nocera Inferiore, this morning they banned a 66-year-old local man, already known for similar crimes, from residing in the entire Campania region. They also ordered his 25-year-old son to report to the police. They also remanded seven other suspects, all charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering. The comprehensive investigative effort, initiated in 2016 following a complaint filed by one of the defrauded foreigners and coordinated by this Public Prosecutor's Office, has allowed us to: — establish the existence of a conspiracy aimed at the fraudulent sale of vintage and luxury vehicles that the suspects did not actually have access to; — trace the organization chart of the association and identify the roles played by each of the suspects; — document the suspects' responsibilities in the commission of 12 frauds for a total damage of approximately one million euros; — prevent the commission of two additional frauds for a potential damage of approximately 300.000 euros. The mastermind and leader of the conspiracy was the 66-year-old man. Enlisting the help of other accomplices to whom he assigned roles, he had skillfully devised organizational arrangements designed to gain the trust and good faith of his victims, whom he invited to Italy, even to charming locations in southern Italy, offering them the purchase of four-wheeled dreams. The scale of the illicit phenomenon, not only from the enormous volume of business reconstructed by the Carabinieri, but also from a group created on the popular social network Facebook by the victims, mostly of French and German origin, which warned them not to give in to the 66-year-old's boasting. This brilliant operating result was further enhanced, as is now established practice in this Prosecutor's Office's new approach, by the extensive work carried out on the asset assessments, which shed full light on the profitability of the trafficking operations conducted by the group. Indeed, the Carabinieri officers meticulously scrutinized his income and assets, allowing this Prosecutor's Office to request and obtain a precautionary seizure order for approximately €300.000 deposited in bank accounts attributable to the 66-year-old, as well as a gym, owned by the 25-year-old, which was found to be entirely financed with the proceeds of the criminal activities.
"Notice to all Strong Gym Celentano customers that the gym will be closed indefinitely from 14 pm, for renewal and safety reasons. We apologize for the short notice, you will be notified as soon as possible for the reopening. All subscriptions will be recovered by all our members: this is the notice that was posted on Andrea Celentano's profile without telling the whole truth. In fact, the boy is one of those reported in the operation carried out in San Valentino Torio by the barracks led by Marshal Gennato Corvino and the Nocera Inferiore operational unit, on the orders of the Nocera Inferiore Prosecutor's Office. Together with his father Luigi Celentano, Gianluca and Andrea Celentano, the two had put together the partnership to carry out - according to the charges to be confirmed in court - quite a few scams in the sports car sector. The Carabinieri also seized the gym, as well as other assets. The three are very well known in the city: especially Andrea Celentano who starting from next July 9th will participate (program already recorded) in the famous love reality show broadcast on Canale 5, “Temptation Island” together with his girlfriend Raffaella. While the personal trainer has put his love to the test to decide for a shipwreck or for the triumph of his love story, the carabinieri and the prosecutor have written a completely different story for him.
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