Venice Financial Police: fraud in the advertising and marketing sector, searches and seizures for 10 million euros

The financial police of the Provincial Command of Venice have executed the provisions delegated by the local Public Prosecutor's Office, emergency search and seizure of money, real estate and vehicles, to over 10 million euros, in the Provinces of Venice, Padua, Milano, Rome and Bolzano.

The investigations, conducted by the financial police of the 2nd Metropolitan Operational Unit of Venice, have revealed a complex organisation, with transnational projection, dedicated to fraudulent preparation and subsequent use of invoices for non-existent operations in the sectors of ideation di advertising and web marketing campaigns.

In particular, it was found that two Venetian companies, operating in the advertising market, have implemented a methodical tax evasion, made possible by the use of fictitious costs invoiced by numerous "shell" companies, located in various locations across the country and linked to the single operational management of the association.

The military have thus reconstructed a volume of false invoices issued and received exceeding 64 million euros.

Furthermore, the perpetrators of the fraud periodically proceeded to transfer the sums illegally obtained to current accounts in the name of companies located in Eastern European countries, these too created ad hoc and attributable to the organization, using, as justification for payments, fictitious tax documents issued by the aforementioned foreign companies.

The amounts, once they reached the foreign current accounts, were taken from a British citizen, a member of the organization, who was in charge of “transport” cash within the national territory, handing it back to the gang.

At present, the following are involved: 27 individuals and 28 companies, 9 of which are under foreign law.

With regard to the positions of the interested parties, it should be noted that, pending a final judgment, the principle of the presumption of innocence applies.