The preliminary phase of the trial for fraud begins to Chiara Ferragni, marked by his absence and two new accusations

Chiara Ferragni (Cremona, 38 years old) has been raising a multimillionaire empire focused on its image: from agreements with international brands to creating its own cosmetic and beauty company, thus going from mere Italian influencer to be one of the best known content creators in the world – with reality in prime video included. But everything collapsed two years ago, when the scandal known as Pandoro Gate was made public: the sale of Christmas biscuits with false beneficial purposes that has ended with Ferragni about to sit on the bench of the accused. This Tuesday, September 23, the preliminary phase of the trial for fraud began, and the first view has postponed until November 4. The influencer is expected to know the outcome of one of the most difficult chapters of his life in January – if there is no agreement before the trial ends. This previous appointment with justice was marked by its absence. Only his lawyer came, Giuseppe Iannaccone, who spoke to the media present there: «He is concentrated in the trial, which is his highest priority. He follows him with great attention and tension. He will be present in all the next audiences.» Ferragni is accused of having made deceptive promotional campaigns to sell Christmas sweets, inducing the consumer to think that part of the collection of sales would go to beneficial works, when it was not really so. In Tuesday’s preliminary phase, two new associations and a 76 -year -old private consumer appeared in court to file a civil lawsuit. More information The economic authorities began to investigate after two consumer associations denounced the influencer and imposed a fine of one million euros for an “incorrect commercial practice” by implying that by the purchase of the Pandoro they would contribute to a donation to the Margherita Regina Hospital of Turin to acquire a new machinery for pediatrics. Dulce had a price of nine euros, six more than usual just for carrying the Ferragni logo. Consumers agreed to pay more for the product thinking that this money would be delivered to a good cause. But the donation to the center was 50,000 euros, which was also made months before putting on sale the typical Italian Christmas sweets, when the final collection was more than one million euros. Ferragni’s defense insists that there was no deception, but a «communication error», as she herself said when she went out of controversy with a video on her social networks. In these months, she has tried to compensate for the damage that her image suffered by making various donations to solidarity agencies: for example, she delivered 200,000 euros to an entity that supports women victims of violence, chosen by common agreement with the associations that had sued her, with the aim of having the complaint withdraw. The total of their donations in the last two years amounts to three million euros among several organizations. The first one was in December 2023, when he assured that he was going to donate a million euros to the hospital to which all the money collected would have arrived.Chiara Ferragni at an organized party in Marbella, on June 19, 2025. Daniel Perez (Getty Images) The first view has been postponed to November 4, when the judges will have to decide whether they admit to the civil parties in the cause or not. If an agreement between the parties is not reached, the last hearing is scheduled for January 14, 2026. Since the scandal broke out, Ferragni has lost 1.5 million followers in Instagam, where he currently accumulates 28.2 million. He was also forced to fire employees from his companies after the billing fell in the 2024 exercise. And the controversy has also affected his personal life. «They left me from one day to another in a period of difficulty, when I struggled to get out of bed. I have heard that I had thrown him out of the house, but he never said that I threw it after discovering a betrayal in those same days,» he explained last January the influencer in social networks, after knowing his separation from the Italian Fedez rapper, with whom he has two children. The Italian efforts in recent months are focusing on recovering the lost reputation and confidence of their followers. He does not want more controversial and maintains a discreet profile – and only professional – in those social networks that made him become the character that is today.