Fake credits on building bonuses: Caserta businessman arrested

Following investigations by the economic and financial judicial police, resulting from the operation “Crediti Fantasma – Capisci ammè” last spring, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Asti, in collaboration with colleagues from the Special Revenue Protection and Tax Fraud Repression Unit of Rome, this morning, soldiers from the Economic and Financial Police Unit of Asti executed a precautionary measure, issued by the GIP at the local Court, for the preventive seizure of 195.829.110,00, as well as precautionary custody in prison against an entrepreneur registered with AIRE (Registry of Residents Abroad), originally from the province of Caserta, carrying out searches in Castel Volturno and Naples.

This is a further phase of the complex investigation that on March 22nd had led the Finance Police of the Provincial Command of Asti, with the assistance of the Departments of the Corps competent for the territory, employing 150 soldiers, to operate in 18 provinces the arrest of 10 responsible and 73 searches, with the seizure of tax drawers containing tax credits considered false for the record figure of over 1,5 billion € and then again, in May, of a further seizure for 700 million.

The judicial restraining order—aimed at preventing the use of this additional set of tax credits, deemed nonexistent and generated in 2022 by the now-disbanded criminal syndicate—was conducted by the Asti Guardia di Finanza (Fiamme Gialle) in collaboration with the Rome Revenue Agency, which was notified today of the judicial decree, blocking access to the incriminated tax drawers on the tax authorities' dedicated digital platform.

These 196 million tax credit titles are attributable to 2 companies and 27 individuals (with declared headquarters in Campania, Emilia Romagna, Marche, Piedmont, Puglia and Veneto) - not involved in the initial operation, but which nevertheless also belong to indigent VAT holders, owners of inactive companies or total tax evaders unknown to the tax authorities, penniless, without property. The analysis by the Guardia di Finanza has also highlighted substantial inconsistencies in this case, such as the indication of work carried out on properties not owned or non-existent.

In this latest tranche of investigations, the figure of another actor in the scam stands out, residing in Castel Volturno (CE), who had managed to elude previous investigations. This person, CC aged 64, also affected today by the preventive seizure for equivalent of assets for € 463.006,76, for the illicit profit to the detriment of the treasury obtained by the association, will be transferred to prison today, at the disposal of the Judicial Authority.

Today's operation is the culmination of complex investigations, peculiar to the Guardia di Finanza, as the only specialized body of economic-financial judicial police, which operates to protect the EU budget, the State and local authorities; primary institutional mission of the Corps, aimed in this case at preventing and combating those who threaten the correct use of the substantial public resources allocated to contribute to the relaunch of the economy and to support energy requalification and ecological transition initiatives.