A court in Milan, Italy, acquitted digital influencer and businesswoman Chiara Ferragni on Wednesday (14). She was facing charges of aggravated fraud in charity campaigns involving Christmas sweets and Easter eggs.
The sentence was handed down by Judge Ilio Mannucci Pacini after nearly four months of trial. The influencer She was accused of promoting fake charity campaigns with products bearing her brand..
The judge did not acknowledge the aggravating circumstance of the buyers' lack of opportunity to defend themselves. This point was argued by the Public Prosecutor's Office and would have allowed the process to continue even without a formal complaint from the injured parties.
Since the consumer protection agency Codacons withdrew the complaint about a year ago, The crime was treated as simple fraud.Due to a prior compensation agreement, the judge declared the crime extinguished.
The Public Prosecutor's Office requested that the businesswoman be sentenced to one year and eight months in prison. In addition to Ferragni, former collaborator Fabio Damato and businessman Francesco Cannillo were also acquitted in the same case.
Upon leaving the court, Chiara Ferragni declared that the outcome ends a two-year nightmare. She stated that she always had faith in the justice system and thanked her followers for their support.
Investigations revealed that the promised donations were made before the campaigns even began. The amounts given to a hospital and an NGO were less than the revenue generated from sales.
Ferragni's defense argued that there was no malice in the actions. According to the lawyers, it was a case of misleading advertising, an issue that had already been resolved with the payment of compensation in the appropriate courts.
During the fallout from the case, the influencer donated 2,2 million euros to the institutions involved. She also reached agreements to compensate consumers affected by the commercial campaigns.
