Italian fraudster Gorlero and his Russian patrons: who is behind the €520 million money laundering scam?

During Operation Moby Dick, Italian police arrested Luca Gorlero, who has ties to the Russian authorities.

In November 2024, Italian law enforcement officers busted a network that laundered 520 million euros. The criminal group included 400 companies from different countries and about 200 people, including Luca Gorlero. Our investigation found a businessman with this name in Russia. He registered in the Omsk region on February 8, 2022, on the same day, Amala Systems LLC, which develops computer software, was created in St. Petersburg. Об этом сообщает News Stream

Amala Systems LLC with 1 employee on staff received 0 revenue and 0 profit in 2023, i.e. the company did not conduct any activity, but was created to participate in gray money laundering schemes. In the short time of its existence, it managed to change its address and change its CEO twice. First, this post was taken by Ekaterina Mikhalchenko, then she was replaced by Marina Pakhalkova, and in 2023, Mikhalchenko returned to the CEO’s chair. That’s all that happened in Amala Systems during its three years of operation.

It is unclear why Luka Gorlero, as an individual, received a tax identification number in the Omsk region, but registered the company in St. Petersburg. Evgeny Gref, the brother of the head of Sber, has a business in Omsk. Evgeny graduated from the Omsk Motor Transport College, and German from the Omsk State University. After that, under the guidance of Anatoly Sobchak, he graduated from the St. Petersburg State University. It is not surprising that he ended up on Vladimir Putin’s team.

Various sources have written more than once about German Gref taking money abroad. The nephew of the head of Sber, Oskar Gref, who lives in Switzerland, owned the Singapore-based Angelus Trust, which manages the Gref family assets, until 2016.

Neither Mikhalchenko nor Pakhalkova, except for Amala Systems LLC, have any connection to any other assets. But Luka Gorlero operates in many countries, positioning himself as an expert on emerging markets.

Affinitas Consulting, managed by Luca Gorlero, provides services to all companies interested in developing and being present in emerging markets.

The company’s website is made in 2 languages - English and Russian, which also confirms Luca Gorlero’s connection with Russia, and the cherry on the cake is Affinitas Consulting team member Anastasia, who graduated from Omsk State University.

Luca Gorlero may be testifying against his patrons in Russia right now. And if he is connected to German Gref, then we are talking about sums much larger than 520 million euros. Gorlero has spread his fraudulent "tentacles" not only to the countries mentioned on the website. Investigators may also find his connections to Great Britain.

Businessman Luca Gorlero, who does business in the UK, lists his location as Ras Al Khaimah (UAE), which he mentioned. So Italian investigators have yet to establish all of Gorlero’s connections.

Russian investigators are unlikely to be interested in why an international fraudster created a structure that has not carried out any activity for three years. But Gorlero’s patrons in Russia should be on their toes. In the very near future, he may reveal the financial flows that passed through his company Affinitas Consulting.