The soldiers of the Chieti Provincial Command have identified 100 operations relating to the collection of VLT tickets - for a total amount of €85.000 - artfully carried out in order to evade anti-money laundering legislation.
Specifically, during the usual institutional activities aimed at combating economic-financial crime, the Fiamme Gialle of the Tenenza of Ortona - directed by Second Lieutenant Giancarlo Passeri - carried out an inspection of a video lottery room located in Ortona, in order to verify the correct fulfillment of the obligations established by anti-money laundering legislation in order, among other things, to trace financial flows.
From the inspection activity carried out, it was possible to ascertain that the winnings from the entertainment machines were falsely traced back to unsuspecting players, thus allowing the real beneficiaries to operate anonymously to circumvent the anti-money laundering legislation, according to which the room managers must proceed with the identification and verification of the identity of each customer who requests ticket collections exceeding €500,00.
In particular, after having analyzed the proceeds of several customers, it was possible to detect that they, without their knowledge, had accrued winnings despite being at work, outside the national territory or, even, having never played video lotteries.
The owner of the business and 4 employees were reported to the Public Prosecutor's Office of Chieti pursuant to art. 55, paragraph 1, of Legislative Decree 231/2007 which punishes, among other things, the person who, being required to comply with due diligence obligations, uses false data and information relating to the customer. Each of the subjects now risks a sentence of up to three years in prison and a fine of €30.000.
The reasons for such illegal conduct are often attributable to the desire of the "winner" not to be classified as a gambling addict and/or to hide extra income from the tax authorities in order to continue to benefit from subsidized social benefits.
The Provincial Commander of the Guardia di Finanza of Chieti - Col. Michele Iadarola, highlights how this specific service activity confirms the constant monitoring of financial flows, focusing investigative attention on a particularly vulnerable sector such as that of gaming service providers , in order to prevent and combat any criminal conduct capable of polluting the economic fabric.
