Italian trend influencer Chiara Ferragni is acquitted of fraud over claims she falsely implied proceeds from cake gross sales would go to charity
An Italian fashion influencer has been acquitted of fraud over claims she falsely implied proceeds from cake sales would go to charity.
Milan prosecutors accused Chiara Ferragni of misleading consumers in 2022 and 2023 by promoting sales of a limited-edition pandoro cake produced by Italian confectionery company Balocco.
The inflated prices were supposed to directly support children’s medical treatment.
A similar case involved Ferragni-branded Easter eggs in support of ‘I Bambini delle Fate,’ an association that helps children with autism.
The mother-of-two was facing one year and eight months behind bars for aggravated fraud.
Today, she was cleared.
Speaking to reporters outside a Milan courthouse, Ferragni said: ‘The nightmare is over.
‘I am very happy to take control of my life and get my life back. It has been a very difficult two years. I had faith in justice, and justice has been done.’
Italian influencer Chiara Ferragni was cleared of aggravated fraud charges on Wednesday after a trial centered on allegedly misleading charitable dealings. Pictured: Ferragni arrives at the Milan Law Court on Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Ferragni was facing one year and eight months behind bars
Ferragni, who has some 28 million followers on Instagram, was fined almost 1.1 million euros ($1.14 million) in 2023 by Italy’s competition authority (AGCM) over sales of Ferragni-branded Pandoro Christmas cakes with packaging mentioning a children’s hospital.
She also agreed in 2024 to pay at least 1.2 million euros to a children’s charity to settle the case concerning sales of Ferragni-branded Easter eggs.
During a hearing in November, the influencer took the stand and stated that she had acted ‘in good faith’, while her lawyer, Giuseppe Iannaccone, reiterated in his closing argument in December that ‘Chiara is innocent from every angle of this case. There is no crime’.
Ferragni’s lawyers, Iannaccone and Marcello Bana, said in a statement at the time of her indictment last year: ‘We remain firmly convinced that this matter has no criminal relevance and that every controversial element has already been addressed and resolved before the AGCM.’
In the case of the Ferragni-branded Pandoro, the allegation was that consumers had been duped into thinking that by buying those cakes they were contributing to charity for a children’s hospital, the Turin-based Regina Margherita paediatric hospital.
Pandoro is an alternative to the more famous panettone.
In the Easter eggs case, the influencer is charged with misleading buyers into thinking they were supporting the ‘I Bambini delle Fate’ children’s charity.
The scandal hurt Ferragni’s popularity on social media, eroding her fan base and denting her vast business empire, which spanned beauty, licensing and fashion.
The influencer speaks to reporters outside the courtroom after she was cleared
Ferragni’s personal life also took a hit as her marriage with popular rapper Fedez collapsed under public scrutiny.
Her status as Italy’s most recognizable influencer made her case an ideal test for prosecutors and regulators, eager to send a message to other players in the surging and mostly unregulated creator economy.
A few months after the scandal broke, the conservative government led by Premier Giorgia Meloni introduced a bill – dubbed the Ferragni law – that directly targeted influencers suspected of misleading their fan base with unclear marketing promotions.
It is not immediately clear if prosecutors will appeal.
