Man arrested after pretending to be blind for over 50 years

  ROME — A man who pretended to be completely blind for 50 years and received over 1 million euros in state aid is being tried for fraud after the police in the Financial Guard noticed the 70-year-old crossed the road with no assistance in Vicenza, Veneto, police said. 

  The man, who has not yet been named, started claiming benefits in 1972 for his alleged blindness. Police became suspicious when they saw the man walking down the road with no assistance. This led to a two month long shadowing operation in which the police observed the alleged disabled man do everyday tasks which require the use of sight such as using shears unsupervised while gardening. 

  The Court of Vicenza requested a specialist medical examination which confirmed the man could see. After being confirmed not blind, the pensioner’s welfare and social security benefits were immediately stopped. The Regional Prosecutors Office of the Veneto Court of Auditors, responsible for overseeing tax payers money, completed a tax audit which led to the man being taxed over 200,000 euros - equivalent to the income the man received over the last five years. 

  The man will face trial in front of the Court of Vicenza for committing fraud. He will also face trial in front of the Veneto Court of Auditors, which oversees taxpayers money, for having diverted over one million euros away from people who are truly disabled.

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