After the scam, the 23 million in seized bars will go to the victims (and not to the State)

A breath of fresh air for the thousands of families overwhelmed by the so-called "gold bar scam".

The 22,934,861 euros seized in the Milan investigation will not flow into the State's coffers through confiscation, but will remain allocated to compensate the defrauded savers and to settle debts with the Treasury.

This was established by the Milan judge, Rossana Mongiardo, who with an order dated February 18, 2026 rectified the reasons for the sentence issued a few days earlier, on February 5.

Addressing the concerns of the civil parties' lawyers, the judge ordered that the conservatory seizure on the assets blocked in September 2025 remain as exclusive guarantee for the creditors, pending the definition of the compensation requests.

According to the Milan Prosecutor's Office and the Guardia di Finanza, the scam, which had national reach and was linked to the company Global Group Consulting, would have raised between 89 and 90 million euros from 2019 to 2024, involving over 5,000 investors.

The mechanism was typical of a Ponzi scheme: victims were offered to purchase gold bars to be delivered to the company as a “guarantee” for alleged speculations in “miracle drugs” and in the pharmaceutical sector, in exchange for the promise of a return of 4% per month, equivalent to 48% annually.

The initiative, conveyed through social networks, dinners, and local events with promoters in the area, relied on the capital of new members, used to pay interest to the first subscribers, until the inevitable collapse.

The social impact has been extremely heavy, particularly in the northern regions such as Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino. In court, there are at least 2,300 civil parties. In Trentino alone, over 200 victims have been identified, with total losses of about 4 million euros (an average of 20-21 thousand euros per person), often the result of a lifetime of savings, severance pay, or pensions.

Behind the facade of promises operated a structured network, based in Milan with branches in other provinces, including Pergine Valsugana.

The alleged “director” of the operation, 41-year-old Samuel Gatto, and his wife Stefania Conti Gallenti, 40 years old, have been on the run for months.

Meanwhile, on February 5, 2026, five representatives and executives of the company have pleaded guilty to sentences ranging from 2 years and 11 months to 3 years and 10 months of imprisonment.

The victims' focus is now on the assets recovered by the investigators. In addition to almost 23 million euros, the seizures include high-end cars, 131 gold bars, designer handbags, 876 bottles of fine wine, and even a Louis Vuitton champagne case worth 25,000 euros.

Assets that tell the story of the audacity of the scam but, thanks to the latest order from the judge, will not disappear: they will remain “reserved” to restore justice and savings to those who have lost everything.