Mario Adinolfi transferred to prison for violating social media ban

Mario Adinolfi, a journalist and former member of parliament, has been transferred from house arrest to prison in Rome. The decision by the Rome Court to aggravate his precautionary measures follows documented violations of his previous house arrest conditions.

According to the Guardia di Finanza, Adinolfi systematically violated a judicial ban on using electronic and telecommunication devices, except for contact with his lawyer. Investigations revealed he published 49 articles on his Substack blog and 23 posts on Facebook during his period of house arrest. The court cited the risk of repeating the alleged crimes and the potential for evidence tampering as reasons for the stricter custody.

Adinolfi is under investigation for aggravated and continuous fraud, unauthorized collection of savings, financial abuse, and failure to declare income. The investigation centers on a social media-promoted betting group known as ‘Scommessa Collettiva’ (Collective Bet), where individuals allegedly entrusted large sums of money to participate in sports betting without receiving promised returns or the original funds back.