Millions Seized in Italy Linked to Alleged Fraud Against Ursula Andress
Milan (AP) — Italian authorities have impounded 20 million euros ($23 million) worth of property, artworks, and financial assets in and around Florence allegedly purchased with funds stolen from original Bond girl Ursula Andress, Italy’s financial police said on Thursday. Reuters and Barron’s reported on the seizures.
Investigation Following Swiss Complaint
The seizures are the result of an investigation initiated after Andress reported to Swiss authorities that she had been defrauded of assets by her financial advisors. The 90-year-old actress told the Swiss newspaper Blick in January that she had been defrauded out of 18 million Swiss francs (approximately 20 million euros) by her long-time financial advisor over an eight-year period. The advisor reportedly died in the interim.
Andress’s Account of the Fraud
“I am still in shock,” Andress was quoted as saying. “I was deliberately chosen as a victim. For eight years, I was courted and wooed. They lied to me shamelessly and exploited my goodwill in a perfidious, indeed criminal, way in order to take everything from me. They took advantage of my age.”
Funds Traced to Tuscan Properties and Artworks
Italian authorities stated that the stolen funds were invested in foreign companies, used to purchase assets, and then channeled through transactions designed to conceal their origin. The funds were traced to the purchase of 11 real estate properties, 14 plots of land cultivated as vineyards and olive groves, along with artworks and other financial assets located in Florence and the surrounding Tuscan countryside. KPC News detailed the location of the real estate complex in San Casciano Val di Pesa, near Florence.
No Arrests Made
Authorities have not yet announced any arrests in connection with the case.
Ursula Andress’s Career
Swiss-born Ursula Andress rose to international fame as the first Bond girl, Honey Ryder, in the 1962 film Dr. No, known for her iconic entrance emerging from the sea in a white bikini. She subsequently appeared in films with Elvis Presley (“Fun in Acapulco”) and Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin (“Four for Texas”), later transitioning to a career in European cinema and television before retiring in the early 2000s.