Article: Pompeii workers allegedly swindle govt out of €700,000

From Adnkronos (note the weird spelling of Torre Annunziata - journalists really ought to check things like this!):

Italy: Pompeii workers allegedly swindle govt out of €700,000

Italian tax police say they have uncovered a fraud that allowed 265 workers at the Pompeii archeological site to claim 700,000 euros in back pay for non-existent work.

Members of the site's security-guard force charged the governmental agency responsible running Pompeii for attending training courses that never existed.

Investigating prosecutors from the town of Torree Nunziata who are responsible for for the case have seized assets worth 700,000 euros -a corresponding value of the fraud - belonging to the person responsible for the fraud.

Pompeii was recently in the news when a series of collapses of 2,000 year old buildings sparked accusations of mismanagement by the Italian Culture Ministry.

A volcanic eruption in 79 AD buried Pompeii under 6 metres of volcanic ash, preserving much of the city. The archaeological site extends over 76 hectares.

Pompeii is the largest archaeological site in the world. It received 2.2 million visitors in the first 10 months of 2010.