Sesto San Giovanni (MI): car thefts and insurance fraud, two people arrested

The Carabinieri of the Sesto San Giovanni Company implemented the provision precautionary measure of custody in prison issued, at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Monza, towards two Italians (43 and 32 years old), censured, held responsible, in various capacities, for vehicle theft, simulation of crime, fraudulent damage to insured property and receiving stolen goods.

The investigation, started by the soldiers of the local station in April 2023 and concluded in the following November, through traditional and technical activities, with observation services, telephone interceptions, video surveillance and analysis of telephone records, made it possible to:

– ensure that one of the two subjects, as owner of a body shop, had set up a parallel market for car parts, obtained through vehicle thefts sometimes perpetrated by himself, as well as insurance fraud, with the participation of four other accomplices, one of whom was affected by the precautionary measure;

– rebuild at least 10 criminal episodes, linked by a similar modus operandi, including the fraudulent collection of two compensations for the total amount of over 5.000 euros in damage of some insurance companies.

During the activity, made particularly difficult by the movements carried out with the so-called "relay" method during the transfers of the vehicles proceeds of theft in order to avoid possible road checks by the police, from the frequent use of cars registered to the various customers of the body shop and from the cryptic language used during telephone conversations to make it difficult to identify the targets or of the places of custody of stolen goods, the following were found:

• three cars, of which two are partially damaged or missing some parts;
• a vintage moped, Piaggio Vespa 50 year 1970;
• plates and spare parts of various kinds;
• as well as having a garage used by the owner of the body shop seized and preventing the payment of the sum of approximately EUR 4.000 for a fraudulent compensation practice.

During the execution of the measure, inside the body shop subjected to seizure, three further motorcycles were found with engines found to be stolen.