Fake news to undermine Lazio's stock and evict Lotito: raids and searches by the Anti-Mafia Directorate (DDA)

The hostile takeover, social media, and the hacked "market": Rome opens Pandora's box on Lazio. A far-reaching criminal scheme, branching out into the halls of Rome's finances, militant media outlets, and the stands of the Stadio Olimpico.

This is the scenario outlined by the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office and the Carabinieri Investigative Unit, who in the past few hours have shaken the Italian football and economy with a series of targeted searches.

At the center of the investigation by the Rome District Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate are prominent figures in the banking and financial circles: Mauro Masi, president of Banca del Fucino, Francesco Maiolini, the bank's CEO, and well-known commentator and fixer Luigi Bisignani.

The charges brought by Roman magistrates are serious and specific: complicity in market manipulation, a crime covered by the Consolidated Law on Finance, aggravated by a series of conducts that, according to investigators, have been ongoing since June 2024 and are still under active investigation.

According to the magistrates, the ultimate goal was twofold and synergistic: on the one hand, to significantly alter the share price of SS Lazio Spa—a listed company—and on the other, to strangle the resistance of majority shareholder Claudio Lotito, forcing him to cede his controlling interest in the club.

The investigative genesis: Lotito's complaints and the banners under the Chamber

The driving force behind the judicial investigation is rooted in the complaints and detailed reports submitted by Claudio Lotito himself between June and July 2025. The Lazio owner, assisted by his lawyers, had put down on paper a series of incidents that, in his reconstruction, could not be considered simple outbursts of a disappointed fanbase, but rather the elements of a fully-fledged mudslinging operation.

The investigation documents include incidents with high media and symbolic impact: from the nighttime raids with controversial and threatening banners that appeared in the summer of 2024 at key institutional sites in the capital—such as Piazza del Parlamento, near the Chamber of Deputies, and Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina—to a relentless smear campaign conducted via social networks and email inboxes.

Lotito had reported being the target of continuous phone calls at all hours of the day and night, in a climate of psychological and reputational wear and tear aimed at demolishing his public image and making the management of the company unsustainable for him.

The strategy of tension: the false news about the "decoction" and the relegation plan

In the provisional indictment, prosecutors outline with surgical precision the alleged conspiracy's operating procedures. The three suspects, acting in concert with each other and with third parties currently being identified, are alleged to have fueled an unscrupulous campaign of disinformation.
The method involved the systematic dissemination of fake news via social networks, the online newspaper Millenovecento, and the daily newspaper Il Tempo, a publication for which Luigi Bisignani contributes. Among the stories deemed false and artificially planted in the media circuit, stand out some real catchphrases that had shaken Lazio fans:

The alleged and imminent sale of the controlling share package by Lotito;

A catastrophic state of financial ruin in which the companies controlled by the same owner would find themselves;

Lotito's incredible and unscrupulous intention to deliberately relegate the team to a lower division in order to pocket the so-called financial "parachute," estimated at around €35 ​​million.

Investigators deemed the reports not only unfounded, but also structurally capable of disorienting financial markets, depressing the sports club's share price, and excessively overheating the climate surrounding the team.

The Curva's short circuit: the fans' protests and the "hidden direction"

The legal proceedings are inevitably intertwined with the discontent of a significant segment of Lazio fans, who have been on a warpath against the club's ownership for months. This dissent, even this football season, has translated into high-profile protests, such as boycotting home games at the Stadio Olimpico and massive attendances following the team only at away matches.

The fans' groups had officially announced their "strike" and the renunciation of season tickets at the beginning of June. However, investigators from the Carabinieri Investigative Unit believe that the protests in the square stem not only from genuine sporting discontent, but also from the shadow of external and manipulative control.

The search warrant highlights how the latest findings, emerging from an analysis of publications from the online newspaper Millenovecento and recently filed by investigators, confirm the existence of a unified plan: to direct and exploit fan dissent, turning it into a political and media battering ram against the club's top management.

Banca del Fucino's defense: "No involvement and complete non-involvement."

Faced with the judicial and media uproar, the institutional leaders implicated in the case were quick to react. Through an official statement, Banca del Fucino sought to draw a clear line between itself and the matters under investigation, forcefully clarifying its legal and operational position.

The bank announced that "the Bank is not under investigation and is not the subject of any measures," while expressing "full confidence in the actions of President Mauro Masi and CEO Francesco Maiolini," confident that the judicial investigation will confirm the complete correctness of their actions.

The bank's note addresses the financial disputes, clearing the field of any hypothesis of hidden financial maneuvers:

The institute has never directly or indirectly funded any initiative, campaign, or activity related to the investigation or detrimental to the interests of SS Lazio, its shareholders, or its management.

The Bank does not hold shares in SS Lazio Spa.

No mandate was ever received to purchase the company or any related shareholdings, nor were advisory activities ever carried out for parties interested in acquiring the club.

Reaffirming its full cooperation with the judicial authorities to ensure the truth is established as quickly as possible, Banca del Fucino has confirmed the continuation of regular business operations to protect its customers, employees, and shareholders. At the same time, it reserves the right to defend its reputation and image in all legal proceedings against any distorted or damaging reconstructions.