‘Toyboy’ who swindled Italian film diva Gina Lollobrigida jailed for three years
An Italian “toyboy”’ has been sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of swindling the Hollywood screen diva Gina Lollobrigida out of millions of pounds of property, cash, cars and jewellery.
Andrea Piazzolla was convicted by a court in Rome of embezzling €10 million (￡8.7 million) of assets from the estate of the actress – who played roles opposite the likes of Sean Connery, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis – between 2013 and 2018.
Nicknamed “La Lollo” by Italians, she had a glittering Hollywood career and later became a sculptor, photographer and ambassador for Unicef before her death in January at the age of 95.
In her heyday, Lollobrigida was a huge star on both sides of the Atlantic.
Humphrey Bogart once said of her: “She made Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple.”
Piazzolla, who was described as a “toyboy” and “factotum” by the Italian media, was found guilty of taking advantage of Lollobrigida’s age and vulnerable mental state to con her out of much of her estate.
He was ordered to pay €500,000 in compensation to the actress’s heirs.
‘Relationship was unbalanced’
Prosecutors had asked for a heavier jail sentence of seven and a half years.
Piazzolla started working for Lollobrigida as an assistant in 2009, when he was 21.
He won her confidence, became her companion and eventually moved into her villa on the Appian Way, the ancient Roman road that still survives on the outskirts of Rome.
The pair were often seen together at glitzy events.
Among the assets he was accused of fraudulently acquiring was an F-Type Jaguar, which he allegedly sold in 2018 for €130,000, pocketing the proceeds.
He was also accused of selling two apartments near the Spanish Steps in Rome for €2 million.
Prosecutors said that he kept the former sex symbol “in isolation” from her family and “in a state of vulnerability”.
He denied the charges and, shortly before the verdict was delivered, told the court on Monday: “I believe I was the only one who took care of Gina Lollobrigida with love.”
Prosecutor Eleonora Fini told the court in September: “The relationship between the victim and the defendant was unbalanced.
Piazzolla exploited ‘fragile state’
“There was manipulation on his part and a series of actions which were contrary to the interests of Gina Lollobrigida.”
Ms Fini accused Piazzolla of taking advantage of her “fragile state”.
Piazzolla’s legal team acknowledged that he ended up with much of her estate but insisted that the transfer of assets was completed with her consent.
Lawyer Filippo Morlacchini insisted that Lollobrigida’s last years had been happy and fulfilled “thanks to the affectionate care of this young man”.
The case was brought by Andrea Skofic, who is the only child of Lollobrigida and her first husband, Milko Skofic, a Slovenian doctor.
The actress appeared in some of the biggest blockbusters of the era, including Solomon and Sheba with Yul Brynner and The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Anthony Quinn.
Lollobrigida was born in the town of Subiaco, in the mountains east of Rome, the daughter of a furniture maker.
She entered beauty contests as a teenager and landed a few parts in Italian films before coming to the attention of Hollywood directors.
After turning to photojournalism, she secured an exclusive interview with Fidel Castro in Cuba.
She also dabbled in politics, running unsuccessfully for the European Parliament.
