ITALY
Yahoo! News
By Isla Binnie
ROME (Reuters) – A Roman Catholic prelate has been arrested for allegedly defrauding hundreds of elderly people out of millions of euros through an elaborate money-laundering scheme, Italian police said on Wednesday.
Monsignor Patrizio Benvenuti, 64, originally from Argentina, has been placed under house arrest, and an international arrest warrant has been issued for French financier and property dealer Christian Ventisette, 54, whom authorities have not been able to find, finance police said in a statement.
Police said the pair persuaded 300 would-be savers in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the United States and Italy to invest 30 million euros ($34 million), encouraged by the promise of helping a charitable foundation.
Contacted by Reuters, Benvenuti said he “substantially rejected” the accusations aimed at him personally. He added that he did not know about finance, suggesting Ventisette had been responsible.
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