"Más de 800 espías de Equalize, los ministros piden juicio por 74

The Procura di Milano has filed a major request for trial against 74 individuals, including former owner Enrico Pazzali of investigative agency Equalize, over allegations of unauthorized access to police databases and surveillance of over 800 people. The case, which originated nearly two years ago with the exposure of data harvesting practices by Equalize, involves a wide range of alleged offenses, including illegal intercepts, breach of privacy, and corruption related to obtaining confidential information. The list of accused includes not only Pazzali and his associates but also notable figures such as Giacomo Tortu, brother of sprinter Filippo Tortu, banchier Matteo Arpe, and Stefano Speroni, head of legal affairs at Eni. Among the victims of these alleged intrusions are prominent public figures like Ricky Tognazzi, Alex Britti, Selvaggia Lucarelli, Fabrizio Corona, Marcell Jacobs, Stefano Boeri, and Paolo Scaroni. The total number of potential victims exceeds 832, highlighting the scale of the investigation. Among the accused, General Cosimo Di Gesù of the Guardia di Finanza was included as an imputee, having allegedly accessed sensitive data from the "Serpio database" upon request from Pazzali. This information was transmitted to Rome for jurisdictional purposes. Additionally, six individuals have reached agreements with prosecutors to plea bargain, including Pierfrancesco Barletta, a former minority shareholder of Equalize. His initial charges were dismissed after he demonstrated their lack of foundation during interrogation, while a revised charge of attempted unlawful access was resolved through a financial penalty agreement. The investigation, led by the Ros of the Carabinieri and coordinated by prosecutors Eugenio Fusco and Francesco De Tommasi, along with DNA unit experts Antonello Ardituro and Barbara Sargenti, revealed a complex network involving multiple companies across Italy exchanging confidential information. These entities reportedly extracted data from strategic databases, creating a parallel market for surveillance. Notable cases include the alleged espionage targeting sprinter Marcell Jacobs, which was commissioned by Tortu’s brother and paid for in cash, and another involving Stefano Speroni, who faces accusations of defamation. Pazzali, already under scrutiny for leading an alleged group of cyber-spies, is now charged with orchestrating illicit reports and managing a team of law enforcement officers who exchanged sensitive information for small sums. Meanwhile, Nunzio Samuele Calamucci, who worked closely with the late Superintendent Carmine Gallo, has cooperated with investigators and is represented by lawyer Antonella Augimeri. The second request for trial, which includes 74 new names, will be reviewed by a judge after merging with previous charges. The preliminary hearing is scheduled to begin in October. Among the suspects are managers from companies like Erg, Heineken, and Barilla, as well as ongoing investigations into manipulated chats linked to architect Stefano Boeri. The case continues to unfold, revealing extensive evidence of unauthorized accesses that have already exposed numerous other names.