Overview
- Prosecutors in Rome placed Adinolfi under house arrest Friday on charges of fraud and tax evasion after opening an inquiry into a pooled betting system called “Scommessa collettiva.”
- The office alleges the scheme raised about €4.7 million from dozens of participants and that roughly €400,000 in income went undeclared to tax authorities.
- Investigators say the operation ran from about 2005 using transfers to Adinolfi’s personal accounts, no written contracts, promises of high returns and special “vip” tiers to attract larger sums.
- Victims, including elderly and vulnerable people, report heavy losses and some civil claimants won a court-ordered seizure of about €90,000 while prosecutors continue forensic checks of accounts and purchases such as watches, precious metals, art and travel.
- Adinolfi denies wrongdoing through his lawyers, saying he only gambled personally, and the probe could hinge on whether funds were actually used for joint bets or diverted for private expenses and tax avoidance; Italian rules require authorization to solicit or manage collective investments.