Prosecutors in Milan today asked for a sentence of one year and eight months for the famous influencer, who is on trial for fraud in the promotion of sweets for charity, according to her lawyer.
Chiara Ferrani is Italy’s most popular influencer with 28 million followers. He has been on trial since September for aggravated fraud after he advertised a pantoro cake, a Christmas cake similar to panettone, and Easter eggs, claiming that their purchase would raise money for charity or social causes.
During today’s closed-door hearing at a Milan court, Ferrani, 38, said she denied the charges and acted “in good faith,” her lawyer Giuseppe Giannacone said.
@bbcnews The huge backlash prompted Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni to speak out against influencers who promote “expensive cakes that make people believe they are charitable”. #ChiaraFerragni #Chiara #Italy #Balocco #Pandoro #PinkChristmas #Christmas #Influencer #Scam #InfluencerScam #BBCNews ♬ original sound – BBC News
Chiara Ferrani also assured at the end of the process that she “feels confident”, without commenting further.
Her lawyer is expected to make arguments at the next hearing, and a verdict is expected in January. If Chiara Ferrani is found guilty, it is almost unlikely that she will go to prison, as imprisonment for sentences of less than 2 years is rare in Italy.
Chiara Ferrani started her online career in 2009 with a fashion blog, ‘The Blonde Salad’, before emerging as an important personality in Italian fashion and social media, with collaborations with the houses of Dior, Chanel and Tod’s.
Documenting her glamorous daily life and life with rapper Fedez, who she split from in 2024, the influencer used social media as a springboard to launch her own clothing and makeup brand.
But the accusations of fraud tarnished her reputation and collaborations with the famous houses.
The sale of “Pandoro Pink Christmas”, a special edition sweet presented in 2022 and manufactured by the company Balocco, was to raise money for a children’s hospital in Turin.
But the Italian Communications Authority (AGCOM) complained in late 2023 that a one-off donation of €50,000 had been made to the hospital months earlier, with consumers thinking that buying the sweet would help the humanitarian work in question.
In December 2023, AGCOM imposed a fine of one million euros on two Ferrani companies for unfair commercial practices in the context of the “Pandoro Pink Christmas” operation.
The company Balocco was sentenced to pay a fine of 420,000 euros. AGCOM also conducted research on Ferragni brand Easter eggs sold in 2021 and 2022 that were also linked to a social initiative.
“It was a communication error”
In December 2023, Italy’s Chiara Ferrani admitted on Monday that she made a “communication error” and said she would donate 1 million euros ($1.1 million) to a children’s hospital after she was fined by antitrust laws for making misleading claims to a charity linked to sales of a Christmas candy.
The case has attracted significant negative publicity for Ferrani, one of the world’s most famous fashion influencers, with criticism coming over the weekend even from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Italy’s competition authority AGCM announced the 1.075 million euro fine after finding that consumers had been duped into thinking that by buying a Ferragni-branded pandoro they were contributing to a charity for a children’s hospital.
Who is Chiara Ferrani?
Chiara Ferrani is an Italian entrepreneur, fashion blogger and designer.
Since 2009 she maintains her personal blog “The Blonde Salad” and has her own line of clothes and accessories “Chiara Ferragni Collection”.
She has twice been included in Forbes magazine’s list of the 30 most successful people under the age of 30, she has received first place in the same magazine’s list of “Top Fashion Influencers”, while her blog (The Blonde Salad) and her collection (Chiara Ferragni Collection) were studied at the Harvard Business School.
