Sentences manipulated in exchange for bribes and gifts: Nine convictions sought for justices of the peace, lawyers, and doctors

Caserta/Rome - Luxury gifts, bribes, and a judicial system bent to the interests of financial crime. The trial into the alleged "fake claims factory" is nearing its final stages, engulfed by an investigation by the Flying Squad and the Economic and Financial Police Unit of the Caserta Guardia di Finanza.

Today, Rome Public Prosecutor Alessia Natale requested heavy sentences for nine defendants—including three justices of the peace, four lawyers, and two doctors—believed to be the linchpin of a network capable of cyclically defrauding insurance companies. For a total of 44 years and 8 months in prison.

Although the events occurred in the Caserta area, the entire case was transferred to the capital due to the presence of the judges involved in the alleged corruption scheme.

The price list and the requests of the Prosecutor's Office

During the closing argument, the prosecution reconstructed the evidentiary framework, outlining the roles and responsibilities of the gang. The highest sentence was requested for civil lawyer Giuseppe Luongo, for whom they requested a prison sentence of 6 years and 8 months.

Next in line are the three justices of the peace: 5 years and 10 months for Maria Gaetana Fulgeri, 5 years and 8 months for Rodosindo Martone, and 5 years for Bruno D'Ursio. According to the prosecution's line of reasoning, the honorary magistrates secured favorable sentences and manipulated compensation payments in exchange for money and luxury goods paid by their lawyers.

The other three lawyers—Vincenzo Castaldo, Michele Zagaria, and Michele Chirico—are seeking four and a half years in prison each. Finally, four years in prison have been requested for doctors Giuseppe and Michele D'Amico, accused of providing medical reports needed to secure compensation claims.

From "fake tandems" to pedestrians: the anomalies of the scam

The investigation was triggered by anomalies found in a long series of reports of alleged road accidents. The incidents were identical, almost mass-produced: pedestrians struck at crosswalks, vehicle collisions that never actually occurred, and even tandem bicycle accidents.

Another common denominator was the constant absence of law enforcement at the sites of the alleged impacts, a factor that allowed the group to manage the documentation completely independently, making use of certificates drawn up by compliant doctors.

Extras recruited for 150 euros

The scheme also relied on a network of "actors" recruited primarily from the outskirts of Casal di Principe. The false injured parties or witnesses were hired with a specific fee schedule: €150 upon filing the fake complaint and a final "bonus" of up to €500 upon successful collection of the compensation claim. A well-oiled scheme that, according to the prosecution, would have generated significant sums at the expense of insurance companies before investigators broke the chain.

 The list of requests for conviction

1. Giuseppe Luongo (Civil Lawyer) — 6 years and 8 months in prison
2. Maria Gaetana Fulgeri (Justice of the Peace) — 5 years and 10 months in prison
3. Rodosindo Martone (Justice of the Peace) — 5 years and 8 months in prison
4. Bruno D'Ursio (Justice of the Peace) — 5 years in prison
5. Vincenzo Castaldo (Lawyer) — 4 years and 6 months in prison
6. Michele Zagaria (Lawyer) — 4 years and 6 months in prison
7. Michele Chirico (Lawyer) — 4 years and 6 months in prison
8. Giuseppe D'Amico (Doctor) — 4 years in prison
9. Michele D'Amico (Doctor) — 4 years in prison