Milan prosecutors have asked for a prison sentence of one year and eight months for Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni on charges of fraud, as part of a preliminary investigation into allegedly misleading advertising tied to the traditional Italian Christmas cake “Pandoro” and the Easter eggs sold under the “Dolci Preziosi” brand.
Ferragni has been referred to trial in Milan accused of misleading the public in a series of charity-linked campaigns. The indictment alleges she gave the impression that proceeds from the Christmas Pandoro cake — a collaborative product with a well-known company — and from Dolci Preziosi Easter eggs would fund charitable initiatives, when that representation did not fully reflect reality.
During a closed preliminary hearing before Judge Ilio Mannucci Pacini, prosecutors argued that the promotional campaigns for these products between 2021 and 2022, run through Ferragni’s company, were presented as connected to two separate charitable initiatives, without that being entirely true. The next hearing is scheduled for December 5.
Italian media report that, including fines from the Italian Competition Authority and compensation demands, Ferragni has already paid €3.4 million before the main phase of the trial began.
The 38‑year‑old, who lives in Milan, told the court at the closed hearing on Tuesday (25.11.2025) that she denies all charges and has always acted “in good faith,” according to her lawyer Giuseppe Ianacone. Leaving the courtroom she told reporters she felt “confident” but declined to say more.
A decision is expected in January. In Italy, people sentenced to terms under two years rarely serve actual time behind bars. Ferragni summed up in a short statement: “Whatever we did, we did in good faith.”
Rise, #pandorogate and Ferragni’s fall
Chiara Ferragni rose to prominence in 2009 with a lifestyle blog and left law school to focus on social media, becoming Italy’s best‑known influencer. She documented her life — her marriage to Italian rapper Fedez, pregnancies and family life — and, together with shared income from Fedez, invested in real estate including a Milan penthouse and a Como retreat. Amazon Prime produced a reality-style series about them, “The Ferragnez,” often compared to Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
By 2022 her company Fenice Srl was valued at about $87.5 million. Then came #pandorogate. Her collaboration with Balocco on a charity Pandoro became a scandal: Balocco had donated $58,000 to a hospital before the cake was released, while Ferragni is reported to have received $1,000,000 for the collaboration. A related case involving Easter eggs allegedly showed that only $41,650 of the $1.39 million earned by Ferragni and the manufacturer was directed to charity.
The investigation prompted fines and led to the so‑called “Ferragni” law, which imposes penalties on charity‑linked products that do not clearly disclose the real percentage donated.
In December 2024 Ferragni appeared in an Instagram Reel, nearly without makeup, apologizing and promising to donate another $1 million to the hospital. Since then her situation worsened: a very public divorce, accusations of infidelity involving Fedez — who allegedly called her by the name of his mistress — and attempts by Ferragni to carry on publicly as normal.
Lawyers, partners, investors and media managers have tried to salvage her brand amid what many describe as its biggest crisis. In the luxury lifestyle sector, public image can be harsher than any courtroom.
Ferragni now faces the possibility of imprisonment if convicted on the fraud charge; prosecutors seek a sentence of one year and eight months. The court’s decision is expected in January.
