Casal di Principe – A sophisticated system for issuing false invoices and money laundering, with an operations centre located in Casal di Principe, was dismantled by a joint investigation by the State Police and the Guardia di Finanza, coordinated by the Bologna Prosecutor's Office.
The investigation revealed an illicit turnover of approximately 24 million euros, culminating in the seizure of assets worth three million euros, of which one million in cash.
The fraudulent mechanism followed a well-established script: eight “shell” companies, with offices between Caserta and Naples, issued invoices for non-existent transactions in favor of over one hundred construction companies active in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy.
The latter arranged for payment via bank transfer, sums that were subsequently recovered in cash by criminal circles in Campania, after deducting a percentage for the “service” provided.
This stratagem allowed entrepreneurs to fictitiously reduce their revenues, evading taxes, and to create slush funds to reinvest in the economic circuit.
The investigations, initiated by a report from Poste Italiane regarding suspicious movements on a current account opened in the Bologna area, led to the execution of 29 precautionary measures and 40 searches.
Money hidden in fireplaces and freezers too
During the operations, conducted also with the help of canine units specialized in searching for money (“cash dogs”), large quantities of cash were found hidden in unusual places such as freezers and fireplaces, as well as valuable Rolex watches and a one-kilogram gold ingot.
The 29 recipients of the measures are accused, to varying degrees, of criminal association aimed at issuing false invoices in the construction sector, money laundering and self-laundering. The most restrictive measures have hit the alleged leaders of the organization, two individuals from Casal di Principe: one was taken to prison, while the other is under house arrest.
Furthermore, 10 signature obligations were imposed (for 5 people from Caserta, 3 from Naples and 2 from Bologna) and 24 bans on carrying out entrepreneurial activities and holding corporate positions for one year (some of which reached individuals who were already subject to the signature obligation).
The entrepreneurs involved include 11 from Bologna, 3 from Ferrara, one from Modena, one from Mantua, 5 from Caserta and 3 from Naples (7 of the latter also required to sign).
The initial stages of the investigation had led to the hypothesis of a connection with the illicit exploitation of the Superbonus 110% legislation, but the investigative developments revealed that the core business of the organization was money laundering and self-laundering through the mechanism of false invoices, a system that, according to reconstructions, had been going on for at least five years.
The operation involved the cities of Bologna, Ferrara, Modena, Ravenna, Reggio Emilia, Forlì, Rimini, Mantua, Naples and Caserta, highlighting the ramifications of the criminal association.
The complexity and scope of the investigations required the collaboration of the Cyber Security Operations Centers throughout the country and the technical support of the Central Organized Crime Investigation Service (Scico) of the Guardia di Finanza.
Article published on May 7, 2025 - 14:57 pm
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The article talks about a fraud and money laundering case that seems to be very complex. It is interesting to see how law enforcement dismantled this system, but there are also many questions about how all this could have happened without being noticed before.