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Cuneo Disability Care Co-Op Seized After 'Aberrant' Abuse Videos, Leaders Arrested

Prosecutors cite 'aberrant' recordings—the inquiry now widens to suspected fraud over publicly funded care.

Overview

  • Director Emanuela Bernardis and coordinator Marilena Cescon were arrested, with four staff placed under house arrest and eleven hit with restraining orders as 21 people face investigation.
  • Prosecutors allege maltreatment, private violence and unlawful detention based on video evidence showing residents in severe psychophysical distress.
  • The Per Mano cooperative was placed under receivership, and authorities carried out preventive seizures of the Con Noi group home and the Stella Alpina residential unit.
  • Investigators report excessive turnover, unqualified staffing and unauthorized drug administration to 18 residents, including minors, alongside neglect such as urine-soaked mattresses and inadequate meal service.
  • A parallel probe examines potential fraud in public supplies and the cooperative’s administrative liability after ASL Cuneo 1 paid about €1.4 million from December 2024 to June, with roughly 70 Carabinieri involved, including NIL and NAS units.