Uh oh. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are in some hot, hot water. According to Vogue, the designers and their accountant, Luciano Patelli, were sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of tax evasion last June. Of course, Dolce, Gabanna and Patelli plan to appeal the decision at the Corte di Cassazione, which is Italy's supreme court.
Dolce and Gabanna's legal representative, Massimo Dinoia, spoke on behalf of the designers, expressing how surprised they all were with the court's decision. "I am speechless. We are all shocked. The judgment is inexplicable and we will appeal."
Although this may be news to you, the world-famous designers have been dealing with the Italian court for years over the matter, but it wasn't until last June that they were formally accused. Allegedly, it all occurred after they sold their company and D&G brands to Luxembourg-based holding company Gado Srl in 2004. The court accused them of withholding $540 million in taxes after that sale.
The twosome quickly denied the charges after they were made and in March, the state general prosecutor ordered that all defendants in the case be acquitted because "the case [was] groundless". However, a month later, a three-judge panel decided to uphold the guilty verdict, which would result in a 20-month-long sentence for each designer. Nothing has changed since, except that their sentence has been reduced by two months.
But if you're trying to imagine how the duo will transform their jail attire into something more chic, you can stop right there. According to Italian law, none of the defendants will have to serve jail time as their sentences are below the two-year minimum in Italy.
