Celebrity Italian broker who is accused of stealing €500MILLION from his clients including Tottenham manager Antonio Conte dies mysteriously in motorbike crash
- Police are investigating a mysterious motorbike crash in the suburbs of Rome
- Massimo Bochicchio, 56, was killed when his motorbike set on fire and crashed
- He was due to give evidence in court over the disappearance of €500million
A jet-setting Italian broker accused of stealing millions was burned beyond recognition when a motorbike he was driving burst into flames in Rome.
Police are investigating the mysterious crash that claimed the life of Massimo Bochicchio, 56, who was due to give evidence in court after allegedly stealing around €500million from wealthy investors.
His client list includes former Italian national football team coach Marcello Lippi and former Chelsea and present Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte, who was allegedly cheated out of more than €20million.
The broker hung around at the Circolo Canottieri Aniene sports club, one of Italy’s oldest and most notorious sports clubs, and often boasted that he was close friends with the honorary chairman, Giovanni Malago.
His LinkedIn profile shows he used to work at HSBC, and was linked to an enormous network of companies, with many registered in the UK.
Police are investigating a mysterious death of Massimo Bochicchio, 56, who was killed when his motorbike set on fire and crashed the day before he was due to give evidence in court
Bochicchio’s talk of international investments won him a luxurious lifestyle as investors handed over their cash for the promise of 10% returns.
But when investors demanded to see their returns, Bochicchio skipped town.
He left Italy in 2020 to lie-low, dodging calls and letters from his investors asking what had happened to their money.
By then, Italy’s financial crimes department had caught wind that something was amiss. Tax investigators opened an inquiry and seized nearly €11million in assets including an Alpine ski resort and a Picasso painting.
Eventually, the authorities caught up with Bochicchio.
Interpol tracked him down to Jakarta and arrested him on July 2021, flying him home to face trial and give evidence.
As well as his legitimate clients, investigators believe that Bochicchio also stole money from criminal investors who were using him to launder money held in offshore accounts.
But soon after agreeing to give evidence revealing details on his illicit funds, the motorbike Bochicchio was driving is reported to have slammed into a wall and burst into flames on June 19.
The hearing was scheduled in the Capitoline court in piazzale Clodio the day after his death, opening up questions over the timing of the accident.
In another twist, one report suggested his motorbike was on fire even before he crashed, according to The Times, sparking speculation that his vehicle could have been sabotaged.
But which of Bochicchio’s affiliates could have targeted the crook? His list of clients stretches to include obscure celebrities and connected Italian businessmen of many varieties.
Bochicchio’s wife had filed divorce papers before he died after she confessed to her sister she could no longer put up with people turning up to their house
Police wiretaps leaked to Italian media in 2020 reveal that at least one of told Bochicchio’s clients was waiting outside of his house, making a sinister promise to his life that ‘something will happen’.
‘We await the outcome of tests on the bike, but Bochicchio never told me he had received threats,’ said his lawyer, Gianluca Tognozzi.
His wife had filed divorce papers not look before he died, Il Mesaggero reported, after she confessed to her sister she could no longer put up with people turning up to their house.
Other investors and affiliates have so far kept silent, but Italian investigators are hoping they can piece the conspiracy together even without evidence from Bochicchio.
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