Italian pretends to be blind for 7 years to defraud the state.
Acting with determination, Panikovsky presented himself as blind to state officials. With such skill that he managed to receive a disability pension and disability benefits, all without problems.
In 2017, Panikovsky, a 53-year-old Italian man, decided to take advantage of the system and live at the expense of the state. His plan was to pretend to be blind to evade taxes and obtain social benefits that did not correspond to him.
Acting with determination, Panikovsky presented himself as blind to state officials. With such skill that he managed to receive a disability pension and disability benefits, all without problems.
This cunning Italian deceived the local authorities for 7 years, receiving payments regularly in his bank account, until an anonymous complaint alerted the financial police, questioning his situation: “Why do they support you? Look how he moves on a bicycle.”
Investigating the case, police observed Panikovsky on security cameras and noted that, for a blind man, he moved with excessive ease and confidence, even on a bicycle.
With evidence in hand, the police uncovered the brilliant scam. The Ascoli-Piceno prosecutor's office estimated the damage caused to the treasury during those seven years at 100,000 euros. His bank account was confiscated and he was charged with aggravated fraud.