The Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Savona, with the support of territorial units located in various Italian provinces, have arrested 9 people accused of having implemented a sophisticated fraud scheme to the detriment of companies for a total value of millions of euros.
Article Key Points
The operation “Affari tuoi”, which involved over 70 soldiers in the provinces of Milan, Monza Brianza, Napoli, Catania, Imperia and Novara, closes a complex investigation carried out by the Carabinieri of the Savona investigative unit and the Alassio company which began last October after a raid in a warehouse in Villanova d'Albenga where 55 tons of goods from fraud were found for a value of over 230 thousand euros.
The investigations have identified a criminal organization capable of defrauding, between May 2023 and May 2024, hundreds of companies, some of which were well-known, causing losses of several million euros.
The suspects, including 8 men and a woman aged between 34 and 73, are accused of criminal association aimed at committing multiple frauds, receiving stolen goods and fraudulent bankruptcy.
The gang's modus operandi was well-tested and was based on several phases
Acquisition of non-operating companiesThe defendants acquired existing but no longer operational companies at low prices, modifying their corporate purpose to include the sale of products in profitable sectors such as construction, food and hi-tech.
Falsification of balance sheets: False balance sheets were then created which attested to huge non-existent profits, fictitiously increasing the share capital and creditworthiness of the companies.
Procurement of goodsUnder the false image of financial strength, the fraudulent companies obtained large supplies of goods from trusted companies, with payments deferred for 30 or 60 days.
Sale of goods and laundering of proceeds: The goods obtained were then sold at prices below the market to a network of compliant receivers. The illicit proceeds were finally divided among the suspects, stealing them from the creditors and causing an overall damage of over 3 million euros.
Abandonment of companies and creation of new ones:Once the house of cards began to collapse and payments to supplier companies were no longer honored, the companies were abandoned in a state of insolvency and new ones were created to repeat the cycle of fraud.
Searches and seizures
During the searches, several tons of goods with a total value of several hundred thousand euros were seized, which will be returned to the companies that were victims of the scam. In addition, additional people were reported at liberty for receiving stolen goods.
Operation “Affari tuoi”” has allowed the dismantling of a criminal organization that has caused serious economic damage to numerous Italian companies. The Carabinieri's commitment to fighting fraud and economic crime continues without stopping to protect companies and the economic fabric of the country.
Article published on May 15, 2024 - 18:40 pm
