A plea bargain agreed with the prosecutor of three and a half years of prison, to be served under house arrest. Thus, financial advisor Elisabetta Toro, 56, concluded yesterday morning before a court judge the proceedings against her on charges of aggravated fraud, for a series of alleged scams committed between 2019 and 2021. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Court deemed the sentence agreed upon by her defense attorney, Riccardo Floris, with prosecutor Giangiacomo Pilia to be appropriate.
The story
During the investigation, the defendant explained to the judge that she had suffered from a gambling addiction for years and, for this reason, had needed money. Elisabetta Toro supported all the charges raised by the prosecutor's office, explaining, however, that her partner—under investigation alongside her—was completely unaware of what was happening. In the past, the woman had also been the victim of a series of intimidations and arson attacks. The financial advisor was accused of various fraud allegations: in October 2019, for example, she allegedly defrauded a woman of approximately €20,000; a few months earlier, she allegedly obtained €28,000 from another investor. Between April 2019 and October of the following year, she allegedly stole €13,000 from a couple, and then another €9,000 from a woman in January three years ago. He allegedly arranged a €12,504 loan for another woman, after requesting €5,000, obtained through top-ups on prepaid cards. In 2020, he also allegedly obtained another €2,700 loan from another investor, but the list of charges also includes a series of less serious scams.
The investigations
Between August 2017 and September 2021, officers from the Financial and Economic Police Unit of the Guardia di Finanza monitored top-ups of €168,165 on Toro's cards, €124,465 in cash deposits and transfers to her partner's account, and €294,872 in withdrawals by the suspect.
Once the prosecutor's office concluded its investigation, defense attorney Riccardo Floris decided to propose a plea bargain to Public Prosecutor Pilia that would cover all charges. The individuals who believed they had been defrauded filed civil suits with several lawyers, requesting that the plea bargain not be accepted due to a repeat offence.
