Milan – The black hole of abusive dossiers is widening and engulfing the worlds of entertainment, journalism, and high-ranking government officials. Politicians and businessmen weren't the only targets of the alleged cyber-spies network centered around the Equalize investigative agency on Via Pattari, a stone's throw from Milan's Duomo.
With the closure of the second strand of the Milan investigation, announced today, a new and very long list of illustrious "victims" has emerged whose secrets were breached on commission.
The list of VIPs
Sifting through the more than one hundred charges in the new investigation's conclusion, high-profile names emerge. The group allegedly made unauthorized access to sift through the personal details of Christian "Bobo" Vieri, former striker for Juventus, Inter Milan, and the Italian national team; former paparazzi king Fabrizio Corona; and blogger Selvaggia Lucarelli.
Actor and director Ricky Tognazzi, entrepreneur and TV personality Sonia Bruganelli, and gossip journalist Gabriele Parpiglia also ended up in the net. Hundreds of people were offended in total, having their confidential information illegally extracted and sold to the highest bidder.
The mole at the airport
To penetrate state servers, the organization relied on paid, rogue officials. This was the case of Roberto Bonacina, then a police inspector serving at the border office at Orio al Serio airport. According to the investigation documents, over the course of 2024, Bonacina allegedly accessed the highly sensitive SDI database of the Ministry of the Interior.
Among those unlawfully questioned by the police officer were Vieri, Lucarelli, Corona, Bruganelli, and Andrea Medri, founder of the failed cryptocurrency platform "The Rock Trading." The accesses were allegedly paid on behalf of Luca Cavicchi, believed to be the head of one of the investigative network's branches.
The Neapolitan thread and the betrayal of the Revenue Agency
But the alleged spies' infiltration didn't stop at law enforcement databases. The gang's sprawling network had also found a compliant supporter in the shadow of Vesuvius, targeting tax and financial secrets. This is where the "Neapolitan strand" of the investigation comes into play.
The one targeted in this specific chapter of the investigation was actor and director Ricky Tognazzi ("Riccardo Tognazzi, born May 1, 1955 in Milan," as the documents state), the victim of unauthorized access to the super-brain Serpico, the database that holds the financial X-rays of Italians.
The person who opened the virtual doors of the tax office between September 25 and 26, 2024, was an unsuspecting white-collar worker: Marco Calcaterra, in his capacity as director of the Naples Revenue Agency.
According to prosecutors, Calcaterra allegedly acted as a veritable institutional "mole," betraying his loyalty to the state to become a terminal serving the dossier network. This illicit operation resulted in the disclosure of official secrets, which, as investigators reconstructed, certainly wasn't done out of courtesy.
The Neapolitan manager allegedly acted in exchange for a financial "compensation," bowing to "requests" arriving directly from Milan: the cyber intrusion was allegedly commissioned by Luca Cavicchi and the organization's technological mastermind, IT expert Nunzio Samuele Calamucci.
A Milan-Naples axis that confirms the unscrupulousness of an organization capable of ensnaring compliant officials in every vital node of the Public Administration.
From managers to judicial mysteries
The gang's appetite extended beyond the world of the jet set, touching the raw nerves of the economy and the justice system. Among the new victims of the dossiers is Stefano Antonio Donnarumma, CEO of Ferrovie dello Stato, who was spied on through an SDI interrogation on November 17, 2023.
In a plot that borders on the country's judicial mysteries, those spied on also include Piero Amara, Eni's former external lawyer, who was at the center of the controversial case involving the reports of the phantom Hungarian Lodge.
In short
Milan – The black hole of abusive dossiers is widening and engulfing the worlds of entertainment, journalism, and top government officials.
- It wasn't just politicians and businessmen who were targeted by the alleged cyber-spy network revolving around the Equalize detective agency…
- With the closure of the second strand of the Milan investigation, announced today, a new and very long list of illustrious "victims" has emerged…
- The list of VIPs Sifting through the more than one hundred charges in the new notice of the conclusion of the investigation, names emerge…
Key questions
What is the main point of the news?
Milan – The black hole of abusive dossiers is widening and engulfing the worlds of entertainment, journalism, and top government officials.
Why is this news relevant?
It wasn't just politicians and businessmen who were targeted by the alleged cyber-spy network revolving around the Equalize detective agency…
Which detail helps us understand the case better?
With the closure of the second strand of the Milan investigation, announced today, a new and very long list of illustrious "victims" has emerged whose secrets have been…
I was in Naples today for the demonstration, and the celebration seemed regular but there were some problems: the stage was not well set, the times did not reflect the program, the stands were open but without useful information, people were talking but no one explained. Nice initiative but more organization and clarity would be needed.