San Barbato Resort: Natale Curiello is under investigation. Close to the League, he served as prime minister in Cerignola.

Natale Curiello , 49, former president of the Cerignola City Council during the Giannatempo administration, is also among those under investigation in the major judicial investigation targeting the industry associated with the luxury resort "Hotel San Barbato" in Lavello , owned by entrepreneur Antonio Liseno . This wide-ranging investigation involves 62 people accused of various counts of tax fraud, money laundering, self-laundering , and issuing false invoices .

The shadow of dirty money behind the construction of the resort

The documents in the order reveal a system based on the use of invoices for non-existent transactions , which would have allowed them to evade taxes and move funds of illicit origin to then reinvest them, including in the construction activities connected to the San Barbato resort.

Curiello, identified as the de facto director of Curimmobiliare srl , allegedly used the company—according to the prosecutor's office—to record false invoices in the company's accounts , issued by other companies involved, such as "Global Market srl," for the sole purpose of reducing taxable income. In doing so, the value added tax evaded amounted to €21,317 , while the income tax evasion was quantified at €23,255 .

In another segment of the investigation, the Potenza Prosecutor's Office is charging the suspects—including Curiello himself—with money laundering . According to investigators, over €78,000 was transferred to a shell company (Broker & Company Srl) linked to Pasquale Saracino , 50, known as "Lino u Negr," a repeat offender known for robberies against armored vehicles , who is also under investigation and arrested in this same investigation. Curiello is Saracino's cousin . This part of the investigation also implicates Sante Cartagena , 67, known as "The Old Man," a historic name in the Cerignola criminal world.

The money and the accusations

According to the reconstruction by the judiciary, Mariagrazia Filomena Merra , former administrator of “Shock Tutto Per Tutti Srls” (which later became “Global Market Srl”), together with Angelo Finiguerra , de facto administrator of the same company, and Sonia Finiguerra , allegedly issued invoices for non-existent transactions for a total of 121,816 euros , relating to the alleged sale of building materials at the construction site of the luxury resort.

The money, investigators claim, was subsequently transferred to current accounts in the name of “Broker & Company Srl” , controlled by Saracino and Cartagena.

But before being moved, the money would also have passed through Curimmobiliare Srl , based in Cerignola , represented by Natale Curiello as de facto director, and by Vincenzo Curriello (also under investigation, Natale's brother) as de jure director. Both—according to the investigative reconstruction—would have procured the funds needed by the company "Shock Tutto Per Tutti" to make the suspicious transfer of €78,350 .

According to investigators, the mechanism would constitute the crimes of self-laundering and use of illicit proceeds , aggravated by the desire to hinder the identification of the criminal origin of the money , linked to a system of false invoices and opaque transactions.

The disputed episode dates back to September 2019 and represents one of the key passages in the prosecution's hypothesis concerning the economic activities of the San Barbato Resort , an ultra-luxury structure at the centre of a wide-ranging investigation conducted by the Potenza Public Prosecutor's Office.

From "Pegasus" to the new investigation

The name Natale Curiello is no stranger to judicial headlines . In 2013, he was placed under house arrest in the "Pegaso" operation , which uncovered a car theft and laundering ring. After that investigation, he resigned as Prime Minister but was re-elected shortly thereafter. He was finally convicted in 2016 for aiding and abetting. Today, he is back at the center of investigative attention, with a role that investigators believe occurred in the construction of the San Barbato Resort , where he helped move illicit money.

Ties to the League: photos, dinners, and selfies with Salvini and Vannacci

Despite his criminal record, Natale Curiello frequently appears on social media alongside League leaders . Images portray him at dinners and meetings with Transport Minister Matteo Salvini , the party's leader, and MEP Roberto Vannacci . They are also joined by other prominent party figures, from Roberto Marti to Claudio Durigon . Snapshots of them and other regional and provincial leaders of the Northern League have long been circulating online, raising questions about political proximity and public opportunities . Among the photos is one of Curiello posing inside the San Barbato resort . Last May, he wrote: "Returning after years to a place you helped transform and build ... well, it evokes so many emotions!!!"

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