According to the financial police Dangiuzknown crypto-artist from Turin, he sold works of art online and received millions in compensation which he never declared to the tax authorities. According to his lawyer, however, not only did he not commit any crime, but he never had the slightest intention of evading taxes. While waiting for a judge’s ruling, the only certain thing is that Leopoldo D’Angelo (the artist’s real name, ed.), multifaceted designer of Falcheraimmediately collaborated with the investigators and has already paid the over 836 thousand challenged by the yellow flames.
A considerable sum for a 29 year old boy, but his digital works of art have reached a very high price and his followers on social media are constantly growing. The investigation by the financiers of the First metropolitan nucleus started from a “report” and made it possible to reconstruct the sales that took place between 2021 and 2022 which would have brought the Turin artist to gross approximately 3.3 million euros, all in cryptocurrencies. And which, according to the investigators, would never have been declared even though they constituted “income from self-employment”. Hence the charge of tax evasion against one of the most well-known crypto-artists on the Italian and international scene.
«The considerable compensation comes from the online transfer of Nft (Non fungible token) – explain the investigators -. Certificates that attest to the originality and possession of a particular electronic content which can be assimilated, from a fiscal point of view, to works of art”.
The judge for preliminary investigations of Turin, at the request of the prosecutor’s office, issued a “preventive seizure decree of the profits from the crime”: a total of 836 thousand and 375 euros. Further investigations, again according to the financial police, would also have made it possible to identify conversion transactions from cryptocurrencies into money capable of generating over 34 thousand euros in capital gains not declared to the tax authorities.
«Whether crypto-activity can be traced back to taxation, according to the legislation currently in force, remains to be ascertained – he counterattacks Flavio Campagna, Dangiuz’s lawyer -. What is certain, however, is that it was not at the time of the facts, since no law expressly provided for it.”
The specific provisions arrived last November, with the 2023 budget law: «More than anything else, these are indications – continues the lawyer -. And in any case taxation occurs after conversion into traditional currency. Which, in our case, never happened. In fact, at the time of the financial police’s inspection, his earnings, still in “Ethereum”, were kept in a digital wallet which he immediately handed over to the investigators. My client never wanted to defraud the tax authorities and let’s not forget that in many cases credit institutions are not available to convert”.
Campaign underlines the total good faith of Dangiuz: «This is demonstrated by the fact that we did not shy away from the judicial authority’s request as soon as it was communicated to us. All this fuss is unjustified and very harmful for such a young boy who has done absolutely nothing wrong. Now I hope that this matter moves towards being archived.”
