Italian police arrest six in real-estate scam

Police arrested six Italians on Tuesday for allegedly selling unavailable or non-existent property to clients throughout the country in a high-value real-estate scam. Reminiscent of the film 'Toto' Truffa' in which celebrated Neapolitan comic actor Toto' tries to sell the Trevi Fountain to American tourists, investigators said that the gang of crooks took deposits or sometimes the full amount of money for homes that were not theirs to sell. The suspects operated mainly in Rome's exclusive Parioli neighborhood, but also other regions, using forged documents and leases copied from the rightful owners of the property. The six could face charges of criminal association, false documentation and fraud.