Attempted extortion and arson: Vittorio Gualtieri, 30, from Chiaravalle Centrale, 30 years old, was arrested on these charges by order of the investigating judge of Catanzaro. The victim is a building contractor from the province of Catanzaro, owner of a bathing establishment, who was allegedly targeted by the suspect, who wanted to be hired in one of his businesses. The investigation began after the police intervened due to a van on fire. Investigations on the vehicle revealed the arson nature of the fire. At that point, investigators questioned the owner of the vehicle, who initially denied having received threats, although he admitted having had discussions with one of his collaborators.
The entrepreneur recounted an episode that took place in Catanzaro, where his company was carrying out renovation work. During an argument, Gualtieri, who was demanding a stable job with a contract, first verbally railed against him, then attacked him by hitting him in the face with a punch and a kick, pulling him and pushing him forcefully. The victim provided further details, reporting that on another occasion Gualtieri had mentioned links with leading figures of local organized crime, without ever mentioning specific names.
The suspect’s threats would have been particularly disturbing: «Don’t be surprised if one of these days I make you disappear. Do you want to see that I won’t make you open the beach? I’ve had precedents, if I want I’ll go back to doing what I did before, I’ll burn your van. Remember that I have the right friends.”
