Actress Gina Lollobrigida’s son has blasted a “toyboy” for embezzling £9million from the Italian film legend before she died in January aged 95.
Milko Skofic described Andrea Piazzolla, who was sentenced to three years in prison, as “heartless” and revealed that the cunning fraudster had even banned him from seeing his dying mother.
Piazzolla, 36, was convicted of “brainwashing” and defrauding Lollobrigida, who became famous in the 1960s as the “most beautiful woman in the world” and appeared in numerous films alongside actors such as Sean Connery and Tony Curtis.
Piazzolla, described by Italian media as a “toy boy”, defrauded Lollobrigida out of property, cash, cars and jewelery worth £9 million as her assistant from 2013 to 2018, a Rome court has heard.
He looked after Lollobrigida in her final years and even moved with the actress to her villa in Rome, where he allegedly used the actress’ money to buy sports cars worth hundreds of thousands of pounds before selling them.
Gina Lollobrigida’s “Toyboy” was sentenced to three years in prison in Italy for embezzling £9million from the beauty queen before she died in January aged 95. Pictured: The Italian actress in the 1959 film Solomon and Sheba
Andrea Piazzolla, 36, was convicted of “brainwashing” and defrauding Lollobrigida (pictured together in Rome 2019), who became famous in the 1960s as the “most beautiful woman in the world” and appeared in numerous films alongside Sean Connery and Tony Curtis
Milko Skofic, the actress’ estranged son, had alleged that Piazzolla took advantage of his elderly mother
He was found guilty on Monday of exploiting Lollobrigida’s age and vulnerability to deprive her of most of her estate.
Mr Skofic, 65, told Italian TV presenter Bruno Vespa: “The first time in years I saw my mother when she was on her deathbed and she was very emotional.”
“She said she did everything wrong while shaking her head. I was with my son Dimitri when we spoke.”
He added: “I expected the verdict, Piazzolla was heartless towards my mother and the evidence against him was heavy and concrete.”
Describing how he was forbidden from seeing his mother, he said, “I couldn’t talk to her because either I called and Piazzolla was there and my mother was talking on speakerphone, or he answered.”
“The problem is that I was thrown out, I wasn’t allowed to enter the house and see my mother.” But before that I was often with her, we lived close together.
“I wasn’t allowed to talk to her and he in turn told her I wanted to get her committed, making it seem like I just wanted her money, but in reality I wanted to see what he was spending her money on.”
When asked if he had been a good son, he replied: “Yes, the problem is that I was kicked out by him and that made the relationship with my mother difficult, I wasn’t allowed to see her, he wasn’t allowed to let me.” .’
Piazzolla, 36, was convicted of “brainwashing” and defrauding Lollobrigida, who became famous as the “most beautiful woman in the world” in a series of blockbuster films in the 1960s in which she appeared alongside Sean Connery and Tony Curtis.
The court in Rome heard how between 2013 and 2018, when he worked for her, he defrauded her of property including an apartment in the city and one in Monte Carlo, as well as a house in Tuscany, cars, jewelry and cash.
A painting of Venus and Cupid that she owned was sold to a French antique shop for £10,000 when it was probably worth ten times as much.
Piazzolla was found guilty on Monday of exploiting Lollobrigida’s poor health and vulnerability and received three years in prison, despite prosecutors asking for seven years.
Prosecutors and financial experts are still trying to track down other assets he may have sold and hidden, but fear they will never find them.
Her son was provisionally awarded 450,000 euros, but the actual value of her estate is estimated to be much higher, although much of it was sold by Piazzolla.
Gina Lollobrigida (pictured at her home in Rome in 2008) died in January at the age of 95
Andrea Piazzolla and Gina Lollobrigida attend Celebrity Fight Night at Arena di Verona on September 8, 2018 in Verona, Italy
He gained her trust, moved in with her and was often at her side, while at the same time pushing her son aside.
Before her death, Lollobrigida had initially claimed that Piazzolla was innocent of everything, telling the court: “He is by my side like a son and helps me move on.”
She claimed her son “disappeared from my life for years and returned not to lovingly support me but to take my wealth.”
But an expert told the court that Lollobrigida was influenced by Piazzolla despite being “mentally vulnerable.”
In Lollobrigida’s will, the sex symbol divided her assets between her son Milko Skofic Jr. and Piazzolla, prompting her family to accuse the assistant of manipulating the actress into giving him a share of her estate.
This long-running legal battle took another turn in May when Italian authorities, in compiling an inventory of Lollobrigida’s estate, said they had found assets worth £9 million (10 million euros), the bulk of the star’s wealth , have disappeared.
Now Piazzolla, who began working for Lollobrigida in 2009 aged 21, has been convicted of embezzling that amount from the actress and ordered to immediately hand over more than £500,000 to Mr Skofic.
The Italian gained the actress’ trust, moved to Rome with her and was often seen at her side at glamorous events.
Piazzolla was accused of using her money to buy a Ferrari before selling it and giving the money to his parents. He was also accused of fraudulently purchasing an F-Type Jaguar, which he allegedly sold in 2018 for €130,000 before pocketing the proceeds.
The assistant was also accused of using the actress’ money to buy two apartments near the Spanish Steps in Rome and selling them for two million euros.
When the trial began before Lollobrigida’s death, the actress had insisted that Piazzola had not stolen from her. She said in court at the time: “He is by my side like a son and helps me carry on.”
Lollobrigida claimed her son Skofic “disappeared from my life for years and returned not to lovingly support me but to take my wealth.”
But an expert told the Rome court that Lollobrigida had been influenced by Piazzolla while she was in a “vulnerable” state and therefore could not trust her with her finances.
Prosecutors said Piazzolla kept the actress “isolated” and in a “state of vulnerability.”
But the assistant, who has vowed to appeal his sentence, said after the verdict: “I think I was the only one who cared for Gina Lollobrigida with love.”
Andrea Piazzolla, Lollobrigida’s driver and manager, was convicted of defrauding her of hundreds of thousands of pounds, including in the purchase of a Pagani supercar
Gina Lollobrigida in a publicity portrait for the film Woman Of Rome in 1954
Lollobrigida’s assets include various properties throughout Italy, as well as her paintings and jewelry (pictured: the Rome estate where Gina’s 95th birthday party was held).
Piazzolla’s lawyers had claimed that Lollobrigida was not at risk and knew what she was doing when she signed the will and transferred assets to the assistant.
Meanwhile, Skofic told Italian newspaper La Repubblica in May that Piazzolla ruined the final years of his mother’s life by isolating her from “everything that was dear to her.”
“For three years I couldn’t even get into her house,” he said. “Her friends were constantly calling me and asking why no one was answering her calls… Almost all of her closest friends were kept away from her… Everything was in his hands.”
Skofic took legal action against Piazzolla back in 2015, accusing him of taking control of the company Vissi D’arte, which manages Lollobrigida’s assets, and using it to buy three luxury properties and a Pagani supercar.
The latest legal case involved 350 works of art and antiques worth an estimated £250,000, which Piazzolla is said to have sold without Lollobrigida’s knowledge.
Their relationship goes back at least a decade when he became her driver at the age of 24. He was then promoted to her handyman and then her manager before moving in with her along with his partner.
There has been speculation for years about how close the couple became – and Piazzolla often appeared on her arm at awards shows.
The actress had described Piazzolla as a “son” and revealed that he named his daughter Gina after her and described the little girl as a “tiger”.
She described him as “a godsend” who “helped me move forward in her life” in recent years after she became estranged from Mr Skofic.
Lollobrigida also previously accused her former toyboy lover Javier Rigau of tricking her into marriage in order to inherit her money.
She dated the 58-year-old for over 20 years and the couple reportedly planned to get married, but the ceremony never took place after the star called it off.
Lollobrigida pictured on the left in 1958 and on the right in 1959
Gina Lollobrigida and ex-husband Javier Rigau at the 56th Red Cross Ball in 2006. The couple, who had a 34-year age difference, announced their engagement that year
Despite their separation in 2007, the Spanish businessman managed to marry her by proxy without her knowledge in 2010, using an impersonator as Lollobrigida at the church service in Barcelona.
It wasn’t until 2013 that she found out about the marriage and Rigau was charged with fraud and forgery.
Lollobrigida was a film star and sex symbol of the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in more than 60 films. Along with her rival Sofia Loren, Lollobrigida was one of the few Italian stars to achieve international fame with a career in Hollywood.
She starred in films such as “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” in 1956, “Strange Bedfellows” opposite Rock Hudson in 1965 and “Good Evening, Ms Campbell” in 1968 – alongside Sean Connery, Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra.
Affectionately known as “La Lollo” by fans and family, she also starred in “Trapeze” and “The Woman of Rome” and split her time between a villa in Monte Carlo, a mansion in Rome and another property in Sicily.
After acting, she began a career as a photographer and sculptor in the 1980s.