Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Tax Evasion (including income tax evasion) |
Sentence: |
20 months |
Years Imprisoned: |
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Year Crime: |
2005 |
Year Convicted: |
2013 |
Year Cleared: |
2014 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Italy |
County or Region of Crime: |
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City of Crime: |
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Result: |
Judicially Exonerated |
Summary of Case: |
"Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were codefendants and business partners wrongly convicted in June 2013 of evading taxes in Italy for 2004 and 2005 totaling 200 million euros ($A299.70 million related to their fashion business. The codefendants cofounded the fashion business of Dolce & Gabbana in 1985, and their celebrity clients include Beyonce and Madonna. The prosecution's case against Dolce and Gabbana was based on their contention the partners illegally transferred control of their brands to a shell company in Luxembourg in 2004 and 2005 to avoid paying Italian taxes. The prosecution argued that setting up the Luxembourg company Gado - an acronym of the surnames of the two designers - while the operation was being run out of Italy defraud the state of tax revenue. After their convictions Dolce and Gabbana were each sentenced to 20 months imprisonment, but they were allowed to remain free on bail pending the outcome of their appeal. In April 2014 their convictions were affirmed by the appeals court that reduced their sentences to 18 month suspended sentences. On October 24, 2014 Italy's Supreme Court vacated their convictions and acquitted Dolce and Gabbana in ruling the prosecution introduced insufficient evidence and that the tax evasion case against them was "unfounded."" |
Conviction Caused By: |
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Innocence Proved By: |
"On October 24, 2014 Italy's Supreme Court vacated their convictions in ruling the prosecution introduced insufficient evidence and that the tax evasion case against them was "unfounded."" |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
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Age When Released: |
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Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
White |
Information Source 1: |
"Italian fashion fraud convictions quashed, By Wire service, Skynews.com.au, October 26, 2014" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.skynews.com.au/news/showbiz/2014/10/26/italian-fashion-fraud-convictions-quashed.html |
Information Source 2: |
"Founders of Dolce and Gabbana fashion house are cleared of hiding millions of euros by Italy's top court, By Staff writers, Daily Mail (London), October 24, 2014" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2806777/Italy-court-clears-designers-Dolce-Gabbana-tax-evasion-case.html |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org