Fast cars trap the dodgers

ROME — Italian tax evaders are being caught out by their addiction to fast cars, police said Thursday, announcing the discovery of $13 billion in unpaid taxes this year.

“These people are pushed to defraud by the mirage of easy money, to allow themselves the luxuries that they would otherwise not be able to afford, luxuries that are often the first clue,” the tax police said, adding that more than 2,000 people were under investigation and 80 arrested for the alleged frauds.

Police gave the example of a property developer spotted “speeding through town” in his Ferrari, Maserati or Mercedes.

The cars — in his mother’s name — led investigators to uncover hidden revenues from property sales of about $9 million over three years.