AnotherDay investigators were asked by a city law firm to investigate an allegation of fraud brought against an Italian celebrity broker.

The victims, of Italian citizenship, met the suspect whilst on vacation in an Italian ski resort where they became friends over a number of years.

Over the course of their friendship, the defendant provided various plans and opportunities to invest in properties in a luxury ski village in Italy.

Only once various attempts were made by the victims to liquidate their investments did they start to realise that they had in fact been defrauded.

The process

Various interviews were conducted with the victims to understand the allegation that was made, and detailed witness statements obtained.

However, it became apparent that a substantial amount of documents were required to be analysed and seized as part of the evidence.

Following in-depth interviews with the victims and independent witnesses, and document analysis, a robust casefile was compiled by the team clearly outlining the timeline of events that led to the fraud.

This allowed reviewing counsel to clearly understand how significant evidential material played a role in the deception.

In parallel to the criminal investigation, our investigators conducted a global asset tracing exercise on the defendant which successfully identified assets that could be frozen but also proved the luxurious lifestyle he lived.

Throughout the investigation, case conferences were held with counsel. It was agreed that our investigation passed the threshold test and that should a summons be granted there was a probable likelihood of conviction should the case be brought to trial.

A summons was subsequently granted by the Magistrates Court, which was served by our AnotherDay investigators.

After the defendant failed to appear at court, a warrant for his arrest was issued. It then became apparent that they were wanted by the Italian authorities for fraud against high profile football managers and investors in Italy.

He was subsequently arrested in Indonesia and deported back to Italy.

Whilst awaiting trial the defendant suspiciously died in a motorbike accident.

The result

Despite the death of the defendant, which was widely documented in the media, the victims were able to launch a private prosecution when the police were unable to assist.

The victims whose main intention was to seek justice were able to bring a close to the fraud that they had been a victim of.