Bergamo and Brescia, “Camata” operation: money laundering and prostitution, 7 arrests between Italy and Romania

Bergamo and Brescia, this morning the Carabinieri of the Bergamo Investigation Unit have implemented a precautionary custody order in prison issued by the GIP of Brescia at the request of the Deputy. Proc. Claudia Moregola of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate, arresting a total of 7 people (3 in Italy and 4 in Romania, executing the same number of MAEs).

The investigation in question is the continuation of the operation BERGAMO which in June 2019 had led to the dismantling of the criminal group led by MURARIU Constantin Adrian who had been trafficking young girls from Romania to the province of Bergamo for years, who were destined for street prostitution.

While the trials against the 8 defendants of the first operation were being held, the investigations continued thanks to the extension of the operations of the Joint Investigation Team established - thanks to the collaboration of Eurojust - between the judicial authorities and the Italian and Romanian judicial police: the DDA of Brescia and the DIICOT of Iasi as well as the Carabinieri of the Investigative Unit of Bergamo and the BCCO (Brigada de Combatere a Criminalităţii Organizate) of the Police of Iasi.

The investigations focused in particular on the reconstruction of the illicit assets accumulated by the top members of the association dedicated to trafficking, leading to ascertaining the existence and operation of a further organized criminal reality, partly subjectively coinciding with that operating the trafficking, once to the transnational commission of crimes of usury, money laundering and self-laundering of the illicit proceeds deriving from the various crimes committed and fictitious registration of the goods purchased - both in Italy and in Romania - through the investment of the illicit capital, in order to avoid them from possible measures of seizure and confiscation by the judicial authority.

In particular, from telephone and environmental interceptions as well as from the testimonies taken by the Carabinieri and the Romanian Police, it emerged that the suspects lent money with an interest rate of 30% per month to the prostitutes over whom they had control, to their companions/protectors and to others their fellow countrymen, obtaining real estate and vehicles as collateral from the victims.

The investigations were completed thanks to a massive acquisition and subsequent analysis of banking and land registry documentation from banking institutions and Romanian authorities.

At the top of the organization are MURARIU Constantin Adrian (cl. 76) and FITA Rozalia Cosmina (cl. 94), both in prison since 2019 following the operation BERGAMO (for which they have since been sentenced to over 10 years in prison). The participants include FITA Mihaela (class 74), mother of Rozalia Cosmina (already arrested in 2019 in Romania for complicity in the trafficking of a young compatriot and convicted there), BOTEA Florin Nicusor (class 93), as well as MURARIU's closest relatives, namely his wife MURARIU Marinela Andreea (class 81), his sister HUTANU Gabriela (class 77) and his parents-in-law MURARIU Paul (class 55) and MURARIU Mariana (class 64), the latter permanently resident in Romania, involved both in the provision of usurious loans and in the collection of interest, as well as dedicated to banking operations of money laundering/self-laundering of the proceeds of usury as well as the fictitious registration of real estate acquired with the profits of the illicit activities or given as collateral by the victims of usury.

Overall, 20 victims were identified, all of Romanian nationality. Most of these live in the Province of Bergamo, others live permanently in Romania and carry out entrepreneurial activities. In the case of exploited prostitutes, loans were requested both to make up for the systematic extortion by their exploiters and to meet the most basic needs of life.

Following the patrimonial investigations, the GIP of Brescia also ordered the preventive seizure for the purposes of confiscation of numerous real estate assets and bank accounts (one of which was opened at a German bank) against the suspects. This measure was carried out today, at the same time as the arrests, thanks to the issuing of freezing certificates pursuant to the most recent European legislation, which concerned:

– n. 3 apartments and n. 2 garages in Romania with a total value of over €150.000

– n. 6 agricultural lands in Romania with a total value of approximately €55.000;

– active balance of various current accounts in Italy, Romania and Germany for a total of approximately €80.500.

Two other apartments and a garage in the province of Bergamo (in the municipalities of Bonate Sopra and Seriate) with a total value of over €300.000 had already been seized from the suspects in 2019, together with the cash found in their possession for approximately €40.000

In addition to the 6 individuals arrested as participants in the criminal association dedicated to the crimes of usury, money laundering, self-laundering and fictitious registration of goods, 2 other people were arrested as participants in the criminal association dedicated to human trafficking for the purposes of prostitution which had already been the subject of the operation BERGAMO and who were identified thanks to the investigations carried out following the arrests of June 2019.

The joint execution of the arrests in Italy and Romania as well as the seizures in Italy, Romania and Germany was possible thanks to the executive coordination of Eurojust, which ensured fruitful judicial cooperation between the three Member States.