Today an Italian court is expected to rule on whether legendary fashion icons Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana will be sent to prison for allegedly trying to hide $1.34 billion in royalties from tax authorities.
The duo deny the charges set by the court, but earlier this year Italy’s Tax Commission fined them $460 million for not declaring earnings from Gado, the owner of Dolce and Gabbana’s brands.
Last month Italian prosecutor Gaetano Ruta stated that the billionaire duo could be sentenced to two and half years in jail if convicted. The maximum punishment available to the court is five years in prison.
This is not the first time the cash strapped Italian government has cracked down on tax avoiding celebrities. In 2000 the late opera singer Luciano Pavarotti was forced to pay over $12 million in back taxes while former MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi paid $51 million in 2008.
