The investigation

Verona, usurer arrested: 125,000 euro business dismantled

The man was granting loans at interest rates close to 50% per year. Seizure of 17,000 euro, a billy club and a switchblade

by Pietro Menzani

26 May 2026

MILANO 10/10/2003 - FOTO GUATELLI/NEWPRESS / NEWPRESS

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Investigations
The victims
The moneylender system

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Usury and abusive exercise of financial activity. These are the crimes that led to the arrest of an Italian citizen living in the municipality of Bovolone, in the province of Verona. Investigations by the Guardia di Finanza revealed an articulated criminal system active since at least 2020 for a total of at least 14 usury loan transactions. The turnover brought to light by the Finance Police - according to initial reconstructions - amounts to over 125 thousand euro.

The investigation

The investigation started following the complaint of one of the victims, who had approached the man to obtain a loan of 15 thousand euro, pledging to repay twice as much in one instalment, when selling a property she owned. After the report, the Fiamme Gialle lurked near the notary's office where the two were supposed to sign the deed.

After identifying the subject, the Gdf proceeded with a personal and vehicle search, which led to the seizure of some documents and approximately three thousand euro in cash. Also found in the man's car were a billy club and a switchblade.

The precautionary measure of house arrest was made necessary by the behaviour of the suspect, who, having realised that he had ended up in the crosshairs of the Fiamme Gialle, had activated a new telephone number to contact the victims and invite them not to reveal the nature of the debts contracted to the financiers. The search of the subject's home then led to the seizure of a further 17 thousand euro, the fruit - according to the investigation - of the illegal activity.

The victims

Among the targets of the usury loan system were people who, for various reasons, were in a complicated financial situation, such as, for example, small entrepreneurs in the catering and public business sectors.

What the victims of the scam had in common was the immediate need for liquidity, which could be determined by different dynamics, ranging from job loss to sudden bereavement, through paying for the medical treatment of a sick child and rescuing a business in difficulty.

These people often saw the moneylender as a point of reference because they were unable to go through traditional channels of access to credit, for example because they had already contracted other debts.

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The usurer's system

If in some cases it was the people in difficulty who approached the usurer, in other cases it was he himself who offered his services. Having won their trust, he would convince them to sign agreements for loans with interest rates significantly higher than the legal limits, ranging from 30% to close to 50% per year.

The Guardia di Finanza describes the man's activity as a real 'criminal enterprise' that allowed him to no longer need his salary as an employee. Not only that. Thanks to this business, he bought two houses and was able to pay alimony to his wife from whom he had meanwhile separated. He even hired an indebted craftsman for the renovation of one of these houses without paying him any compensation.

The moneylender's system consisted of granting cash loans in one or more instalments of EUR 5,000 each, while the victim was required to pay back interest-only sums of at least EUR 200 per month. Within a calendar year, the entire amount loaned had to be repaid.

If the agreed deadlines were not met, the suspect applied real penalties, in some cases even for each day's delay in payment. The victims thus gradually lost control of the sums to be repaid, remaining in debt for years.