An Italian fashion influencer has been acquitted of aggravated fraud, bringing a long-running scandal involving a charity Christmas cake to an end.
Chiara Ferragni had been accused of misleading consumers by promoting the sale of a designer pink pandoro and Easter eggs, which were alleged to help raise funds for a children's hospital and a charity.
After a fast-track trial in Milan, a judge found her and two other defendants not guilty. Had she been convicted, she could have faced jail time.
Ferragni, 38, expressed relief, stating that the judgment marked the end of a nightmare that lasted two years.
The scandal, dubbed pandorogate, began with the sale of pink special edition Christmas cakes in 2022. Consumers believed that sales of the pandoro would assist in raising funds for a children's hospital in Turin. However, it was revealed that the cake's producer had made a one-time €50,000 donation to the hospital prior to the cake's launch.
With 28 million Instagram followers, Ferragni's companies generated €1 million from the promo, which prompted her to pledge the same amount to the hospital. This outcry led to a formal investigation and a €1 million fine imposed on her by Italy's competition authority for misleading advertising.
Furthermore, complaints regarding the sale of Ferragni-branded Easter eggs led to her agreeing to pay €1.2 million to a children's charity for misleading consumers.
Despite prosecutors seeking a one year and eight months prison sentence, the judge ruled the fraud was not aggravated, especially after a consumer group withdrew its complaint. Ferragni also agreed with Codacons, a consumer organization, to compensate consumers and donate to a charity for women affected by gender violence.
Following the trial's conclusion, Ferragni remarked, We are all moved. The last two years have been very hard. I had faith in justice, and justice has been done. Nonetheless, the scandal has tarnished her brand and affected her personal life, including her marriage to rapper Fedez, which ended last year.
This case has also led to stricter regulations for Italian influencers regarding transparency in fundraising initiatives.
