Maya Metodieva: From Hairdressing to Alleged $390 Million VAT Fraud Linked to Neapolitan Mafia

Maya Metodieva: A Profile

Maya Metodieva, born Maya Krusteva in Vratsa in 1979, started her career in hairdressing and cosmetics. In 2018, she founded a successful IT company called Solutions IT. Within three years, her company’s annual turnover grew from zero to 43 million BGN.

Maya and her husband, Petar Metodiev, moved into a nice house in German village and purchased an apartment on Tsar Shishman Street in Sofia. Their life was progressing well until November 15, when the European Public Prosecutor’s Office launched Operation “Moby Dick” against her. She was revealed to be linked to a major VAT fraud scheme worth 390 million euros, allegedly connected to the Neapolitan mafia, Camorra.

VAT Carousel Fraud

The European prosecutors described the system as “VAT Carousel Fraud.” It involves fictitious transactions between companies, often with shell owners across various countries, including Austria, Belgium, and Bulgaria. The organization had a pyramidal structure, with key figures Rodolphe Balear and Paolo Flavini coordinating the scams.

Maya Metodieva is accused of being a participant in this organized crime group. It is alleged that from 2018, her company, Solutions IT, used fictitious purchases from Italian brokerage companies to engage in fake resale transactions with missing Italian traders, utilizing a method called “closed carousel.”

Financial Growth and Holdings

BIRD reviewed the financial reports of Solutions IT, which showed significant growth. The company reported revenues of 208,000 BGN in 2019, escalating to 43,598,000 BGN in 2022. The total turnover over these years exceeds 123 million BGN, with only two employees on the payroll.

Maya holds a stake in another company, MM Company, alongside Italian Fabio Casota, and also is a partner in Stars Property, affiliated with another Italian, Paolo Piero Apuzo di Portanova. No financial reports have been submitted for these two companies. Petar was involved in another firm in 2019 and has managed another company since 2023.

Property Ownership

In the real estate sector, Maya and Petar own a two-story house in German, believed to be built in 2021-2022. Additionally, they acquired a modest 50 square meter apartment on Tsar Shishman Street in 2023. In Italy, Maya reportedly owns two guest apartments in Rome, promoted through a Facebook group focused on tourism.

Efforts to contact Maya through her business phone were unsuccessful. However, her number is listed on Viber, linked to her. Petar’s numbers were also inactive.

This case might represent one of the largest frauds the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has uncovered in Bulgaria, marking significant VAT fraud rather than mismanagement of European funds. Consequently, there have been no major revelations regarding political corruption that could explain such large-scale theft of European finances.