2017-04-24

Massimo Carminati, boss of an alleged mafia group in Rome, is said to have made millions of euros before his arrest in December 2014. But this financial treasure is nowhere to be found.

We followed some of the tracks left behind by his group all the way to London, where some of his money is believed to be hidden. Here, we discovered, they relied on trusted contacts: lawyers, real estate moguls but, above all, former neo-fascists who had fled to the UK as fugitives in the 80s.

Among them is Vittorio Spadavecchia, an old friend of Carminati, who alongside his business partner manages a £14m property empire in Central London. Despite a 14-years jail term for terrorism, Spadavecchia has never been extradited to Italy to serve his sentence.

The group led by Carminati also allegedly exploited London’s financial centre to create companies which are nothing more than empty boxes and move money offshore.

Team members

Cecilia Anesi

Cecilia Anesi (1987) is an Italian journalist and reporter at the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI).

Giulio Rubino

Giulio Rubino (1980) is an Italian journalist.

Matteo Civillini

Matteo Civillini is an Italian journalist based in London.

Matteo Civilini

Ted Jeory

Ted Jeory is a British journalist and co-director of Finance Uncovered (London)
Supported
Grant of €2.000 allocated on 01/02/2017 and €6.000 allocated on 01/05/2017
ID
JF/JA2A/2017/385 + 393

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