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He also said that Rossi is definitely not a fraud and that his friend Focardi and Levi is absolutely not frauds. They are his friends and he trust them.

Yea, about that...

Here are the stories I can find about Rossi's criminal background (Note that sometimes Google Translate translates "Andrea Rossi" into "Andrew Smith"):

January 8, 1992: Rossi indicted with 8 others, based on false invoices related to building a factory. [Italian] [English]

April 12, 1992: Rossi found guilty, sentenced to 4 months, suspended, for illegal transport, storage, but acquitted on illegal dumping. [Italian] [English]

March 24, 1993: Rossi sentenced to 8 months in prison, suspended, for violating the rules related to waste disposal. [Italian] [English]

March 9, 1994: Rossi's Petrol Dragon company forced to shut down over toxic waste issues. According to the story, there was no sign of Rossi actually converting wast into fuel, and one of his customers had claimed to be purchasing the fuel from Rossi well over a year after Rossi's plant had been shut down. [Italian] [English]

March 28, 1995: Another story describing the industrial waste left in silos by Rossi's company, Petrol Dragon, which had supposedly been converted into fuel. [Italian] [English]

March 29, 1995: Background of Rossi's jewelery business, and the charges of fraud related to phony gold shipments. [Italian] [English]

March 30, 1995: Rossi and four others accused of fake invoices for sale of tens of kilos of gold." [Italian] [English]

April 6, 1995: story about charges of money laundering and tax evasion related to false billing for the transfer of 46 billion ingots of gold (2,323 lbs.). [Italian] [English]

May 24, 1995: Rossi arrested for "criminal association aimed at the false invoicing and tax evasion." [Italian] [English]

January 25, 1996: Rossi complains about the loss of Petrol Dragon, claims innocence. [Italian] [English]

February 20, 1996: Preliminary hearing on gold fraud charges. [Italian] [English]

April 25, 1996: Article with Rossi's boasts of a process to convert waste into fuel, and description of the warehouses storing the unprocessed waste. [Italian] [English]

September 25, 1996: Article about criminal conspiracy to commit fraud and false tax invoices, along with five accomplices. Rossi claimed to have shipped "60 billion" (Lira?) of gold which didn't exist. [Italian] [English]

March 19, 1997: Rossi's conviction for illegal storage and disposal of toxic waste was upheld by the Court of Appeals. [Italian] [English]

May 23, 1997: Rossi sentenced to 2 years, 8 months for tax fraud. He created fictitious invoices between four companies he managed. [Italian] [English]

February 24, 1998: Two of Rossi's employees get plea deal. [Italian] [English]

October 23, 1998: Article about the cleanup efforts from the toxic waste sites left by Rossi's company. [Italian] [English]

June 1, 2000: Described as "Fugitive in the U.S.", Rossi is arrested in Rome for aggravated fraud and bankruptcy fraud" Accused of being "on the run" for about a year. Accused of leaving "dozens of stores in Northern Italy overflowing [with] industrial sewage." [Italian] [English]

October 20, 2000: Rossi sentenced to 8 years for fraudulent bankruptcy. [Italian] [English]

October 19, 2003: Article about how Rossi's customers are having to pay millions of Euros to pay for the cleanup of the toxic waste dump sites left by Rossi's company. [Italian] [English]

November 27, 2004: Rossi acquitted on toxic waste dumping charges. 41 million Euros were spent to clean up the waste dump left by Rossi's company. [Italian] [English]

Conclusions:

Rossi was convicted for fraud related to building a factory in southern Italy (apparently trying to claim earthquake-related subsidies).
Rossi was convicted of dumping toxic waste, as well as conspiracy and tax fraud, along with a number of others. Parts of this conviction were eventually overturned. It's not clear whether this included the conspiracy and tax fraud, or just the dumping.
There was never any indication that Rossi was actually converting waste into oil. It appears that this was a scam to launder money. The waste was simply stored and eventually dumped.
Rossi was convicted of fraud related to shipping gold internationally. This had nothing to do with his convictions related to Petrol Dragon. Apparently, Rossi had a thriving jewelery business while he was committing the gold shipping fraud.
Rossi was convicted of fraud related to the bankruptcy of a company that was involved with Petrol Dragon. This resulted in an 8 year jail sentence.

After that, Rossi appears to drop off the radar in the Italian press until he shows up with his E-Cat.

March 9, 1994: Rossi's Petrol Dragon company forced to shut down over toxic waste issues. According to the story, there was no sign of Rossi actually converting wast into fuel, and one of his customers had claimed to be purchasing the fuel from Rossi well over a year after Rossi's plant had been shut down. [Italian] [English]

Johnny B.'s original link:

waste oil from? useless and toxic!

This one is important.

A member of the Rossi Amen Chorus was saying he was selling 20 tons of fuel oil a day when it looks like he produced exactly nothing.

Impressive research.

Too many Google.com translations there for reliability but the name "Guardia di Finanza", or FINANCE POLICE, popped up.

They have some powers IRS has ~ plus they wear uniforms and carry automatic firearms.

Because of the proclivity of people to lie on their tax declarations Italy has created this body to COLLECT TAXES one way or the other.

They get to lie in court ~ when the objective is to make someone pay. THeir favorite trick is to spy on people and then create arguments concerning where they got their money.

This is Italy, not a normal country!

This is not that good a collection of Google translations on Petrodragon. For example, we have: "a process that lasted over a year and a half and for which the prosecutor had asked Ambrose Moccia penis much more' severe. 'S director of the Petrol Dragon Pm"

I gotta' ask you johnny B. what has Ambrose Moccia's penis got to do with any of this?

I've seen some better stuff.

Look at that Nov 2004 article ~ Rossi was acquitted. End of story.

One of Rossi's complaints is that ever since The Omar Refinery situation the professional environmentalists and their friends in the press have carried out a smear campaign against him as a "polluter".

I'd gather that is, in fact, true and it may well color his history as portrayed here. If so that raises questions about what FR is doing allowing professional Environmental extremests and Pure Sun enthusiasts in. I thought we'd pretty much purged them over the years.

Rossi claims Jimmy Carter gave him a permanent entry visa. Did you pursue that one? Guy sure seems to be able to hop countries with abandon.