12 Arrested for Selling False Antarctic Citizenships with Fraudulent Tax Promises

Italian authorities have apprehended 12 individuals for selling bogus Antarctic citizenships and offering unrealistic tax rates and other enticing incentives to over 700 unsuspecting buyers.

fake Antarctic State of St. George

The group masterminded the creation of various institutions, an official gazette, a misleading website, and identity documents to validate the nonexistent Antarctic Theocratic State of St. George.

Bogus Tax Rates and Incentives

Fraudsters enticed citizens with the lure of an astonishingly low 5% income tax rate and the ‘possibility of receiving funding for personal research projects, benefiting from a streamlined bureaucracy for businesses, and receiving government documents for free mobility in Italy and abroad.’ In certain instances, suspects even sold land in Antarctica, accompanied by titles of nobility.

Over €380,000 in Proceeds Laundered

This elaborate scam, which netted nearly €400,000, saw the proceeds laundered through a foreign account in Malta.

The Scam Unraveled

The culprits’ identities remain undisclosed, but reports from the Corriere della Sera newspaper suggest that the scheme’s mastermind is Mario Farnesi, a former high-ranking official of Italy’s financial police agency.

fake ‘Antarctic Tribune’

The so-called Antarctic Tribune, an Italian-language ’news magazine’ claiming affiliation with the Sovereign Antarctic State of Saint George, was found online.

The publication’s location was given as 75 degrees 34 minutes south latitude and 140 degrees west longitude, making it approximately 70 miles from the nearest abandoned Russian research station. The closest population center lies over 2,300 miles to the northeast, in Tierra del Fuego, at the end of Argentina and Chile.

Reactions from Experts

Andrea Carinci, a tax professor at the University of Bologna, expressed shock at the elaborate nature of this fraud, stating that “they organized a very well-structured scam with fake offices, false documents, and deceitful agents.” Stefano Grilli, a Milan-based lawyer with Withers, commented that “people can believe anything. It’s not surprising that many were taken in by such a scheme. Some may even have no clue where Antarctica is.”

Staying Safe from Scams

The public is advised to be cautious and double-check the authenticity of any offers or websites before parting with their hard-earned money.