Fake Disabled Gang Discovered: Two Arrests, Dozens Under Investigation

 Blind people able to read letters from their mailboxes, people unable to walk alone who were driving, and individuals receiving attendance allowances caught performing group dances: these are the fake disabled people who illegally received social security or welfare benefits thanks to a ring, discovered by the Guardia di Finanza, operating in the Palermo area and taking care of the entire process of obtaining benefits in exchange for money. Two people have been arrested and dozens are under investigation. The INPS fraud was uncovered by members of the Palermo Economic and Financial Police Unit following an investigation coordinated by the prosecutor's office. The investigating judge issued two arrest warrants against a 57-year-old man from Terrasini and a 49-year-old man from Camporeale. They were charged with conspiracy to defraud the state, aggravated fraud to obtain public funds, false ideology, and illicit influence peddling. Charges were also filed against several individuals, including public employees, general practitioners and specialists, members of local health authority medical commissions, and CAF managers. According to the financial police's reconstruction, the two arrested men were at the top of the organization, which relied on a series of collaborators and accomplices, and had established a system so well-established over the years that they had become a sort of reference point for those seeking to obtain undue social security benefits. The recruiters were tasked with finding people willing to participate in the scam, among those who appeared most needy and willing to seek help. Once identified, the individuals were directed to compliant doctors, who signed certificates with false medical conditions to apply for benefits. Furthermore, in some cases, the doctors themselves formally certified the individuals' unfitness for transport, thus avoiding a medical examination and obtaining a home visit. They then "coached" the fake disabled individuals on how to behave during the check-up. Once the entire process was completed and the fake disabled individual had obtained the benefits provided by law, the organization would collect a pre-established fee: generally one year's compensation, equal to the arrears paid by INPS. With the same arrest warrant, the investigating judge also ordered the seizure of €100.