Gina Lollobrigida’s manager ‘conned her out of millions’
He’s 60 years younger than 92-year-old
FORMER screen siren Gina Lollobrigida has been cheated out of millions of pounds by her manager who is 60 years younger than her, prosecutors have claimed.
They want Andrea Piazzolla, 32, to stand trial for allegedly wresting control of the estate of the Italian actress, 92 – once dubbed the most beautiful woman in the world and worth an estimated £40million.
It is claimed he sold three luxury properties belonging to the actress near Rome’s Spanish Steps for nearly £2million while working for her between 2013 and 2018. He also sold a £250,000 Ferrari he bought with her money, transferring the cash to a bank account in his parents’ name, court papers allege.
The claims come after the star’s only son Andrea Milko Skofic, 61, filed a complaint against Mr Piazzolla and tried to have the estate controlled by an administrator two years ago. He claimed that Miss Lollobrigida – an international sex symbol in the 1950s – had fallen under her manager’s sway. He told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero: ‘My mother needs an administrator. I fear she may no longer be capable of handling her affairs by herself.’
Mr Skofic said the lifestyle of his mother gave him reason for concern and referred to Mr Piazzolla as her ‘very young manager’.
He added: ‘The [legal] action was not against her, but it was an attempt to protect her from people who have estranged her from her family. It was two years since my mother allowed me [and my son] to see her. I am worried.’
But a judge in Rome rejected the request, ruling the actress was capable of managing her own finances. When interviewed by Vanity Fair in 2015, she introduced Mr Piazzolla as her ‘assistant’.
He showed off his motorcycle, complete with a paint job depicting himself as James Bond and Miss Lollobrigida as a Bond girl.
The actress, whose films include Trapeze with Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster in 1956 and, in the same year, The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Anthony Quinn, laughed when asked if there was a romance, replying simply: ‘There are many years’ difference between us.’
It is understood Miss Lollobrigida, now a Rome-based sculptor, is defending Mr Piazzolla against the new claims.
She says she has never counted her fortune and has no interest in money. When some of her jewellery sold for £4million at a Sotheby’s auction she donated the cash to stem cell research.
An ex-boyfriend has claimed Mr Piazzolla turned her against him. Spanish businessman Javier Rigau y Rafols, 58, told Italian media: ‘I believe she has been turned against me and against everyone else who loves her by a new adviser.’
‘Wrested control of star’s estate’