Sant'Antimo Diploma Mill: 54 under investigation, up to €25 to obtain a diploma

Sant'Antimo — High school diplomas paid up to €25 and a network of complicity involving teachers, administrators, and students. This is the disturbing scenario that emerged from a vast investigation by the North Naples Prosecutor's Office and the Frattamaggiore Financial Police, which led to 54 notices of conclusion of investigations for ideological forgery.

At the centre of the story is a private school in Sant'Antimo, in the Naples area, transformed into a " diploma mill " for adults and out-of-town students.

The scheme was simple and profitable. According to investigators, a mere five thousand euros a semester was enough to get through the school year. Class attendance was merely a formality: attendance records were filled with fictitious records, guaranteeing students access to the state exams.

And the final outcome was already decided: grades often above 70/100, almost as if to confirm the "goodness" of the program. All for a total fee that could reach, indeed, 25 euros for the entire course.

The tests: fake students present

The investigation, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office headed by Anna Maria Lucchetta and delegated to the financial police of the Frattamaggiore Group, began in the 2023/2024 school year following several reports. Suspicions turned into evidence when the Guardia di Finanza (Fiamme Gialle) cross-referenced attendance data with data from law enforcement databases.

And this is where the absurdity emerged. While school records attested their presence in Sant'Antimo, many students—often adults—were stopped and identified at Brenner Pass, in Rome, or in Milan.

Essentially, they were everywhere except in the classroom. Cross-checks uncovered the scam: the names present at the school were the same as those traced at checkpoints in entirely different parts of Italy. Not a single out-of-town student was found to be in Campania on school days.

The operation is part of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Education and the Guardia di Finanza, aimed at combating the increasingly widespread phenomenon of "diploma mills."

Not an isolated case

The Sant'Antimo system is not an isolated incident. Just a week ago, a similar investigation involved a Bologna think tank and several private institutions in Campania and Marche.

In that case, the students, mostly from Emilia-Romagna, earned their diplomas for approximately €6, thanks to a system based on fictitious residences, undated report cards, and assignments. The investigation, conducted by Bologna's financial police, led to the seizure of the study center and a school in Nola. A clear sign that the fight against "easy diplomas" is only just beginning.