False marriage scheme between Kosovars and Romanian women, dismantled in Italy, group leader sentenced to 4 years in prison

The investigation coordinated by the Prosecutor's Office and the Mobile Brigade, in collaboration with the City Hall and the Immigration Office, was initiated following a report from abroad regarding a suspicious marriage. Visar Krasniqi, a 37-year-old Kosovo citizen, was sentenced in Italy to four years in prison for leading a network that, between 2016 and 2018, arranged marriages between Kosovo citizens and Romanian women, with the aim of obtaining residence permits and Italian citizenship. Although the prosecutor requested a 12-year sentence, some charges were time-barred.

Krasniqi was accused of instigation and coordination of an organized system, in which Kosovars married Romanians, often in the presence of relatives as witnesses. The judges established that his activity was well-structured, and the amounts for obtaining residence permits reached up to 17,000 euros. A Romanian woman involved reported pressures and threats not to separate from the "convenience husband." The investigation led to the discovery of at least three false marriages, and two individuals involved pleaded guilty, receiving sentences of eight months.