Milano: tax fraud in the Milanese hinterland, assets worth over 16 million euros seized for tax crimes and illicit supply of labor

The financiers of the Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza of Milano they executed a seizure order for a value of over 16 million euros, issued by the Judge for Preliminary Investigations of the Court of Milano at the request of the local Public Prosecutor's Office for tax crimes, aggravated fraud for obtaining public funds, forgery and self-laundering.

The precautionary measure comes as a result of an investigation conducted by the military of the Melegnano Company, which allowed them to identify a tax fraud carried out by a dense network of companies operating in the Milanese hinterland.

In particular, the legal representatives and directors of the companies involved, with the assistance of consultants and professionals, had created a complex fraud system based on the issuing and use of invoices for legally non-existent transactions, in exchange for the stipulation of fictitious service contracts that concealed mere supplies of manpower carried out in violation of the sector regulations.

More specifically, by reconstructing the "labour supply chain", it was found that the employment relationships with the client companies, many of which operate in the tourism-hotel sector, were "shielded" by "filter" companies which, in turn, made use of a cooperative company ("reservoir" company) which has systematically failed to pay taxes and social security and welfare contributions. Furthermore, some companies involved in the fraud, through the instrumental creation of costs never actually incurred, were found to have benefited from false tax credits "Training 4.0", a measure financed with resources from the PNRR to support companies in the process of technological and digital transformation.

The operations, which also involved departments of the Guardia di Finanza of Rome, Bergamo, Cremona, Rimini, Latina, Pesaro Urbino and Taranto, have therefore allowed us to subject seizure of goods and assets of various kinds, attributable to the natural and legal persons involved, for a total value of over 16 million euros.

The service activity demonstrates the constant commitment of the Guardia di Finanza to protect the interests of the Treasury, free and fair competition between businesses and the safeguarding of the correct allocation of public resources.