Fleeing fraud charges, Samuele Landi evaded extradition treaties, dabbled in crypto, procured diplomatic credentials and took advantage of all the offshore world has to offer.According to The New York Times, on February 2nd around midday, a large wave began its slow approach towards the Aisland 1, an 800-ton deck barge floating between Dubai and Iran. The barge was home to a group of residents, including 58-year-old Italian businessman Samuele Landi, three sailors, a cook, and five cats. Landi, who was also the captain of the ship, was a skilled computer programmer and former CEO of a telecommunications company. He saw himself as an Italian Steve Jobs, but others may have compared him to John McAfee, a cybersecurity entrepreneur and tax fugitive. Landi was an adrenaline junkie, enjoying activities like skydiving and motorcycle racing, and he lived life on the edge, both legally and figuratively. He had made a career out of participating in offshore financial schemes, and now, he was living on a barge, fully immersed in his risky lifestyle.
Landi’s barge, the Aisland 1, was a rundown vessel with the dimensions of a large commercial aircraft. It had a deck with six blue shipping containers that served as living quarters, complete with solar-powered air-conditioners and a desalination system. The rest of the barge was cluttered with various equipment, including ropes, crates, fans, oil and water tanks, a freezer filled with meat, and a bag of reinforced concrete mix for repairs. A Liberian flag flew in the wind.
The story of how Landi ended up living on a leaky barge 30 miles off the coast of Dubai is a tale of self-preservation. For over a decade, Landi had been on the run. He wasn’t a violent criminal, nor was he a high-profile fugitive. However, after his company, Eutelia, went bankrupt in 2010 and he was publicly convicted of bankruptcy fraud, Landi became a wanted man in Italy. With his options on land running out, he turned to the sea as a means of escape.
Source:Read More