LECCE – Twenty-one people are under investigation by the Lecce Prosecutor’s Office for a maxi-scam on building bonuses which allegedly stole a total sum of 2 million euros from the treasury.
The notice of conclusion of the preliminary investigations, with simultaneous notice of guarantee, was signed by prosecutor Simona Rizzo and was notified in recent days.
According to the accusation, between April 2021 and January 2022, a system was set up based on the submission of false declarations to the Revenue Agency to obtain tax credits relating to facade bonuses, ecobonuses and renovation bonuses for work never carried out. The credits were then transferred to Poste Italiane Spa which, unaware of the scam, credited the amounts to the current accounts in the name of the suspects. The amounts of the individual disputed scams vary from a minimum of 32,371 euros to a maximum of 208,962 euros.
Only in three cases were the requests rejected by the institution, thus constituting an attempted deception.
The central role of Marotta
At the center of the investigation is Andrea Marotta, 49 years old from Gallipoli, who appears in most of the charges.
The first scam he is accused of concerns declarations submitted in his own name between April and November 2021 for fictitious tax credits amounting to 248,500 euros, relating to a property in Gallipoli not in his name, for which Poste would have credited the reduced sum of the premium withheld by the institute, in this case equal to over 208 thousand euros.
The properties indicated in the practices were often not registered in the name of the declarants and, in some cases, were even non-existent.
The 21 suspects
In addition to Marotta, the notice was sent to: Ernesto Autunno, 32 years old, from Matino; Donato Bartolomeo, 60 years old, from Taurisano; Salvatore Capoti, 75 years old, from Gallipoli; Rocco Antonio Conte, 48 years old, from Aradeo; Paola De Masi, 50 years old, from Racale; Lucio Roberto De Salve, 34 years old, from Matino; Rosalba Durante, 51 years old, from Nardò; Antonio Fracella, 36 years old, from Nardò; Paolo Isaia, 57 years old, from Gallipoli; Antonio Leo, 27 years old, from Nardò; Giacomo Montunato, 45 years old, from Matino; Simona Morrone, 47 years old, from Nardò; Maurizio Mucci, 63 years old, from Lecce; Oltian Shehaj, 34 years old, from Taviano; Maria Randazzo, 62 years old, from Matino; Luigi Rossetti, 51 years old, from Melissano; Giulia Sabato, 50 years old, from Trepuzzi; Marcello Scarlino, 61 years old, from Taurisano; Giuliano Zilli, 29 years old, from San Cesario di Lecce; and Sonia Anna Zollino, 58 years old, from Nardò.
Some of them would have given their personal details to submit the false declarations, others would have provided logistical support or participated in the laundering operations of the illicit proceeds.
accuses him
The types of crimes contested, for various reasons, are multiple: aggravated fraud to obtain public funds, issuing documents for non-existent operations, attempted undue use of non-existent tax credits and self-laundering.
Among the charges there is also the laundering of money obtained fraudulently: the sums were in fact rapidly transferred to foreign companies, professionals or accounts, particularly in Albania, with reasons referring to services, supplies or financing.
From the account of one of the suspects, Ernesto Autunno, 32 years old, from Matino, for example, 185 thousand euros would have been moved, in several tranches, to various companies with reasons such as “rental of equipment” or “purchase of building materials”.
The next steps
The suspects (assisted, among others, by lawyers Alessandro Costantini Dal Sant, Alexia Pinto, Roberto De Mitri Aymone, Flavio Fasano and Alessandra Assunta Luchina) now have twenty days to view the investigation documents and present defense briefs, produce documents or ask to be interrogated. At the end of this period, the prosecutor will evaluate whether to request indictment.
LeccePrima is also on Whatsapp. Follow us on our channel.
