The Milan Public Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday (29) charged businesswoman Chiara Ferragni with aggravated fraud in charity campaigns between 2021 and 2023, a scandal that shook the empire of Italy's most followed digital influencer.
The complaint comes less than a month after Ferragni reached an agreement with consumer rights associations to compensate people affected by the case, which could pave the way for an eventual dismissal.
The MP, however, decided to proceed with the complaint, and now it will be up to a preliminary hearing judge to assess whether or not to make the influencer a defendant.
Ferragni is accused of fraud in charity campaigns involving a pandoro (a typical Italian Christmas sweet) and an Easter egg between 2021 and 2023. Produced by the brands Balocco and Dolci Preziosi, respectively, the sweets bore the image of the influencer and promised to pass on the proceeds to a children's hospital in Turin and an NGO focused on minors with disabilities.
However, it was discovered that the donations were made before the campaigns even began and for much lower amounts than those raised later. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, Ferragni "unfairly" made a profit of 2,2 million euros (R$13,5 million), in addition to a benefit "in return for his image".
Amid the negative repercussions of the case, which led to the loss of several advertising contracts, the Italian company closed agreements to donate 1 million euros (R$6,1 million) to the hospital and 1,2 million (R$7,4 million) to the NGO.
“I sincerely believed that it would not be necessary to undertake a trial to demonstrate that I never defrauded anyone,” Ferragni said in a statement released Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, I will have to live with this accusation for a longer time, which I consider deeply unfair, but I am ready to fight with even more determination to prove my absolute innocence,” she added.
The preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 23 in Milan. (HANDLE)
