Ursula Andress, Original Bond Girl, Targeted in €20 Million Fraud Scheme
Italian authorities have seized approximately €20 million (around $23 million) in assets allegedly purchased with funds defrauded from Swiss-born actress Ursula Andress, best known as the first Bond girl, Honey Ryder, in the 1962 film Dr. No. The investigation, launched after Andress reported the fraud to Swiss authorities, centers on a long-term scheme perpetrated by her former financial advisor.
Details of the Fraud
The 90-year-vintage actress revealed in a January interview with Swiss newspaper Blick that she had been defrauded out of 18 million Swiss francs (approximately €20 million) over an eight-year period by her longtime financial advisor, who has since died. Andress described being deliberately targeted and exploited due to her age, stating, “I am still in shock. 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 seize everything from me. They took advantage of my age.”
Italian financial police, the Guardia di Finanza, traced the stolen funds to investments in foreign companies and subsequent purchases of assets in and around Florence, Tuscany. These assets include 11 real estate properties, 14 plots of land used for vineyards and olive groves, artworks, and other financial holdings. AP News and CNN reported on the asset seizure on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
Investigation and Asset Seizure
The investigation revealed a “systematic misappropriation of financial resources” carried out through complex and opaque transactions, according to prosecutors in the Swiss canton of Vaud. The Guardian details how the funds were laundered and concealed through various financial maneuvers.
The judge for preliminary investigations in Florence ordered the seizure of the illicit profits, up to the amount of CHF 18,000,000, to be enforced against the identified assets. Authorities have not yet announced any arrests in connection with the case.
Ursula Andress’s Career
Andress rose to international fame with her iconic role as Honey Ryder in Dr. No, emerging from the sea in a white bikini. She continued her career with appearances in films such as Fun in Acapulco with Elvis Presley and Four for Texas alongside Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Later in her career, she focused on European cinema and television before retiring in the early 2000s.