Italy: Major visa fraud scheme linked to mafia

Rome: In Italy, 44 people have been implicated in a visa fraud case in the city of Salerno. Around 2,500 people are believed to have benefitted from the activities, which are said to be linked to the local branch of the mafia.

The charges against the group include money laundering, false invoicing and criminal association with the aim of facilitating illegal immigration.

According to reports, 13 alleged members of the groups were put in jail, while 24 were placed under house arrest, and seven taken into custody.

Another 10 suspects remain free but are banned from taking part in any business activities for 12 months.

Assets totaling around 6 million euros were also seized in connection with the case, which are thought to have originated from profits related to the alleged crimes.

Prosecutors from the southern Italian city of Salerno said that the suspects had filed fraudulent visa applications for migrants, who require the sponsorship of employers to be allowed in the country.

The group is accused of filing “around 2,500” visa applications since 2020, which were “based on non-existent or falsified data,” according to prosecutors.

The migrants are believed to have paid as much as 7,000 euros each for the benefit of having their bureaucratic process pushed forward by the illegal means of the group.