Fraud and tax evasion . These are the crimes charged to journalist and leader of the Popolo della Famiglia party , Mario Adinolfi, who has been under house arrest since this morning at the request of the Rome Prosecutor's Office. The measure was carried out by the Guardia di Finanza. The investigation involves the so-called "collective betting," a fundraising network for private individuals who were promised returns on sports betting . The suspect is also charged with alleged tax evasion of €400,000 .

Adinolfi is also charged with illegally conducting savings collection activities and financial misconduct. The investigation, conducted by officers from the Guardia di Finanza's Judicial Police Section and the Economic Police Unit, began following a series of complaints filed by individuals who entrusted the suspect with sums of money in the belief that they were participating in a betting group called "Scommessa Collettiva," created and promoted through social media.

"The activity," a statement explains, "enjoyed the participation of a significant number of clients who, due to the reliability of the mastermind, the promise of high and guaranteed returns in percentage terms well above the rates offered on the financial market, and the use of supposedly infallible algorithms and betting strategies, were induced to hand over large sums of money (sometimes exceeding €100,000 per victim) to purchase participation "shares," without obtaining (in whole or in part) a refund of the sums paid or the promised remuneration ."

From the reconstruction of the financial transactions on the suspect's bank accounts over the last five years, " over €4.7 million was identified. Only a portion of these sums were related to sports betting activities, while the majority of the funds received were apparently used for various purposes , including transfers to third parties and personal expenses for the purchase of luxury goods such as watches, gold bars and foreign coins, paintings, boats, and travel expenses ," the GDF concludes.