He studied computer science at the University of Patras. He appears in seminars on secret agents organized by a self-proclaimed “expert of the European Parliament on Turkish affairs.” He has founded companies, including one focused on homeopathy – although most seem currently inactive. He lives in Switzerland. This is Federico Carrasco, who became known to the Greek public as “the Italian expert.”

The appearance of Federico Carrasco, an Italian associate of expert Vasilis Kokotsakis, on a TV show made him the “man of the moment.” That’s because he questioned the authenticity of three videos featuring the freight train from Tempi, provoking an angry reaction from New Democracy (ND), which referred to him in a statement as an “Italian expert.”

Mr. Carrasco did not respond, although he may do so today at noon in Heraklion, where he is scheduled to speak at a seminar series on secret agents and espionage. However, there is an issue with the seminar’s organizer, who presents himself as an “expert of the European Parliament,” a title that appears impossible to verify.

“Metaverse, commerce, advertising, branding, tourism, education, information” are the topics of the seminar in which Mr. Carrasco is speaking. Attendance is possible via computer for 20 euros. He claims expertise in all these areas and especially in digital media verification. But who is Federico Carrasco?

The man ND accuses SYRIZA of using to remind people of the “Florence Institute era” actually has a strong understanding of Greek affairs. A graduate of the University of Patras (1988–1993), he holds a degree in computer engineering and describes himself as an entrepreneur and computer scientist.

On the university’s website, it states: “Mr. Federico Carrasco graduated from the Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics of the University of Patras and is the founder and CEO of Graypes GmbH.” He introduces himself as: “Having developed a passion for electronics and software, I had the opportunity to work on innovative and successful products from the start of my career, where I learned to think ‘differently.’ I applied this mindset throughout my career—as an engineer, project manager, team leader, R&D director, and CEO. Finally, I began my entrepreneurial journey in 2008 with a clear personal vision: to challenge myself and technology by engaging in ideas and ventures with real meaning, not just financial profit.” So what was that entrepreneurial journey?

From homeopathy to… spy school
His first company was Life Tree, an online business specializing in homeopathy. Today, the company appears to have only one employee from… Kabul, Afghanistan, no physical location, no clear business activity, and its website (life-tree.net) redirects to a site with… Chinese novels.

Carrasco is also listed as the founder of Graypes, based in Switzerland, which “uses algorithms and artificial intelligence to evaluate businesses, provide targeted advice, focus on product development, or facilitate potential investments. This drastically reduces the time and cost of business assessment and funding.”

Meanwhile, when not busy with his company, Mr. Carrasco—who speaks excellent Greek—appears in videos and podcasts (including “Pitsirikos,” “Before the Black Sheep Crows,” etc.) discussing geopolitical, military, and technological topics.

Nowhere in his biography does it show that Mr. Carrasco has any specialized scientific certification in forensic video analysis, digital forensics, or media authenticity verification. There is no indication that he was ever accredited as a court expert or specialist in such matters. Instead, as a member of the Technical Advisory Group for the relatives and injured victims of the Tempi tragedy, his expertise lies in startups, entrepreneurship, business strategy, software engineering, project management, and software development.

Mr. Carrasco is also listed as a specialist collaborator for the website spystories.gr, affiliated with Mr. Kostas Pikramenos, the organizer of the “intelligence seminars” in which Carrasco participates. Pikramenos describes himself as the founder and head of CP Consulting, author of eight books, organizer of intelligence (secret service) seminars, and “expert of the European Parliament on Turkey, intelligence services, and Islamic structures” (elsewhere described as “expert of the European Parliament on intelligence and security systems”). This title also appears unverifiable, as his name is not listed in any official registry of experts of the European Parliament.

Back to Federico Carrasco. On his LinkedIn page, he states he has experience in “international business, complex projects, and innovative products, in roles such as CEO, CTO, VP of Engineering, COO, IT Advisor, Project Manager, Senior Engineer,” and describes himself as a “dynamic, visionary, interdisciplinary executive with over 30 years of progressively responsible success in IT, emerging businesses, and startup environments. Results-driven with strong strategic and business insight, an award-winning professional with a proven record of high performance and business transformation. Passionate about innovation and people development, with a focus on continuous learning and self-growth.”

On the same professional network page, we also learn that in 2024 Carrasco took a course at MIT related to human psychology. Recently, he’s also been CEO of Metasteps, and in his resume, besides Graypes, he lists experience at the Research and Technology Center, Intel (part-time consultant on video search API for live streaming), Facebook, and the video search tech company Viss, which he co-founded. According to him, he worked at Viss (based in Vrilissia, Attica, and California) from 2010 to 2013, although the company has no functioning website, and its listed address in Vrilissia is a location shared with a flyer distribution company.