75-year-old woman in Trapani acquitted of electricity theft with tampered meter

Last Updated: September 16, 2023

A 75-year-old woman from Trapani, Italy, has been tried for allegedly illegally obtaining electricity from the main power grid managed by Enel, by tampering with the meter of a property in Trapani’s historic center. The events took place between June 2016 and July 2019. She was also charged with a bill of €1683.50 for the period from 2016 to 2019. Represented by her lawyer Vincenzo Maltese, during the trial it was proven that the woman did not have ownership of the apartment until 2016 as it was rented out, and she had always paid her Enel bills on time. As the essential elements for the aggravated theft of electricity were lacking, the judge, Francesco Giarrusso, acquitted the woman since she did not commit the crime, accepting the defense lawyer’s requests.