The criminal plot that emerged in 2016 that involved a million-dollar VAT fraud on hydrocarbon purchases and sales through the fictitious commercialization of precious metals – embodied in a carousel-type scam involving more than fifty companies between Spain and Portugal – was busted. already has sentence And also verified. Although the prosecution initially demanded a total prison sentence of 288 years for the 20 defendants, the heroes of this network, which has an important place in Vigo, must confess the truth. Significantly reduced the global prison sentence to just 30 yearsAlong with fixing the compensation to the Tax Office, Nearly 23 million euros defrauded to the Treasury in 2015 and 2016. This advantageous compliance agreement was faked in 2021 and remained on paper, and now, in a decision dated this February, The National Court upholds these sentencesboth to all these natural persons and to the two companies from Valencia and Tarragona who played the most relevant role – which in their case failed to reach an agreement with the prosecution – Ital Refining SL and Meridium Petroleum SL
This network was sentenced to prison after the prosecutor withdrew the charge of membership in a criminal organization and considered the highly qualified mitigation of fact-recognition for all defendants. Crimes against treasury, falsification of commercial documents and money laundering. Stefano C., a Valencia-based businessman from Italy, was at the head of this conspiracy, along with the Catalan Rafael MM, who over time cut ties with the previous one and set up his own conspiracy. AND The main partner of the Italian was a man from Ourens, who settled in the central Rosalía de Castro street in Vigo.José Benito RG, whose flat was seized 16 sheets of gold weighing three kilograms and a little over 211,000 euros in cash. In the city of Olívica, all five of the prisoners lived or worked.: HE an agency manager and an employee; A lawyer “introducing himself” as a leading member of the conspiracy as company director and tax adviser; and two women linked to José Benito, because one of them is his former partner, a citizen of Albania, and the other, a Paraguayan, who was his emotional partner at least in 2016. He acted as a front man in many companies, both of which were involved.
operational
The sentence, dated 2021, now handed down, concludes that the defendants carried out a fraudulent operation “in order to avoid payment of very large sums”. VAT payment economic activity hydrocarbon sales”, they developed through two companies condemned in this “macro procedure”.
Case
An operation from 2016
The arrests and searches that led to the dispersal of this conspiracy took place in Vigo and other cities in 2016.
A framework of 50 companies
Alongside the two main companies, 50 more companies were involved in this tax evasion scheme.
A significant reduction in sentences
The prosecutor requested a total sentence of 288 years, but the total sentence was only 30 years after the defendants confessed.
To carry out the treasure scam Parallel trading activity between Spain and Portugal on the purchase and sale of precious metals this was actually wrong. There supposedly “front” companies, “instrumental” companies, or “trout” companies. Packages traveling from Spain to the neighboring country and back again contained nothing of value. This was confirmed in cans that could be scanned by X-ray equipment: for example, in a can instead of the declared 22 carat gold solder, there was only “salt or turmeric”. The same packages ‘circulated’ in Valencia, Vigo and Porto for weeks and never ‘reached consumers’. “Empty boxes or boxes with negligible value content were moved to simulate trading reality; The only reason that can explain this move is to justify an unreal VAT,” the judges conclude.
laundering through gold purchases or sponsorships of motorcycle teams
The defrauded money circulated in the bank accounts of the different companies that made up the network. Regardless of the percentages that each member of the organization keeps in return for his work, the benefit obtained from the illegally deducted VAT has been withdrawn from the money circuit. One of the bleaching methods used is gold purchaseanyone. The Italian ringleader of the Valencia-based conspiracy agreed with a company from his home country to “fix” the precious metal in question at the most opportune moment to “maximize return on investment”. transport of valuable goods was done through an air freight company: It is estimated that he seized 87 kilos of gold with this method. 50 of them are in the register of the safe deposit box in his wife’s name. Three more kilograms of this precious metal were found in the home of the main prisoner of Vigo.It was also seized during the house search conducted by the gendarmerie teams. In combination with other bleaching methods, e.g. redirection of funds to Slovenia wave gas station purchaseAs stated in the sentence s, it was also decided to be a sponsor. motorcycle equipment in the different categories that make up the world championship”. The defendants were to invest in financing the equipment in question. approximately one million euros. In addition, when the frame was dismantled, a final price of 1.4m euros was agreed, it was in the negotiation stage. purchase of a commercial property in Valencia. The decision of the National Court is not final and can be appealed to the Supreme Court.