Ercolano '18 app' scam: assets worth 3 million euros seized

The value of assets and companies seized yesterday by the finance police of the Naples Provincial Command and the Portici Company as part of Operation "18App" is nearly 3 million euros.

Investigation that led to the execution of a precautionary measure order, ordered by the investigating judge of Naples at the request of the Neapolitan Prosecutor's Office against 9 people, investigated for criminal association, fraud against the State and self-laundering of the profits of crime.

For three suspects, custody in prison was ordered, for two recipients of the order, the measure of house arrest and for four suspects the obligation to remain at home. Among the seized assets are current accounts, 2 B&Bs in Ercolano and Naples, a bookshop in Ercolano and 5 vehicles.

The investigations revealed the existence of a criminal group headed by the managers of a bookshop in Ercolano who, with the collaboration of other organisers and intermediaries, allegedly created a fraudulent mechanism aimed at the illicit collection and conversion into cash through the dedicated IT platform, of vouchers worth 500 euros each issued by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, now the Ministry of Culture, in favour of new 18-year-olds as part of the Bonus cultura 18 App project.

The system consisted of simulating the sale of books, which in reality never took place, at the seized bookstore. The suspects requested and received from the Mic the reimbursement of the entire value of each "voucher" with a total value of 500 euros.

The mechanism would have allowed the reimbursement of approximately 6.400 “18 App” vouchers, registered to beneficiaries residing throughout the national territory, causing the Ministry of Culture an estimated damage of approximately 3 million euros.