Prosecutors in Milan have placed four people under house arrest in an investigation into an alleged prostitution ring that facilitated paid sexual encounters for professional footballers, with financial records showing over €194,000 transferred to the events agency at the center of the probe.
The investigation, led by Prosecutor Marcello Viola and coordinated by Deputy Prosecutor Bruna Albertini, targets Emanuele Buttini and Deborah Ronchi, described as the ring’s organizers, along with two collaborators, Alessio Salamone and Luan Fraga. Authorities say the agency, Ma.De Milano, operated as a front for organizing VIP events that included dinner shows at upscale Milan restaurants, followed by options to continue the evening at private venues or hotels such as the Me in Piazza della Repubblica or the Just Cavalli club.
Financial flows are a key focus, with investigators tracing more than €194,000 in bank transfers to the agency’s accounts, part of an estimated total of €1.2 million funneled through the operation. Investigators are also examining Italian and foreign bank accounts of the suspects to disrupt alleged profits from the enterprise, which prosecutors characterize as a criminal association for exploitation and facilitation of prostitution.
Though more than 60 footballer surnames appear in seized documents as “keywords” for digital forensic analysis, none of the players are under investigation. Italian law does not criminalize the purchase of sexual services from consenting adults, nor does it penalize the sex workers themselves; liability falls only on those who manage or profit from the system. The names, drawn from intercepts and chat logs, include players from Inter, Milan, Juventus, Lazio, Sassuolo, Verona, Torino, Monza, and Como, and are being used to verify whether athletes attended events and availed themselves of the advertised “extra service” involving paid sex and, in some cases, nitrous oxide — referred to in intercepted chats as the “laughing gas” or “balloons.”
Intercepted conversations reveal the operational tone of the network. In one exchange, a client — identified as a Formula 1 pilot — asks whether a paid companion can be secured, to which an organizer replies, “I’ll send the Brazilian.” In another, a woman collaborating with the agency expresses concern about being traced: “Just recover the chats, but it’s been three weeks or so. Why?” Her colleague responds, “Don’t tell anyone… I just took a test and I’m pregnant, over three weeks… so it’s…” — a detail that underscores the human stakes beneath the criminal inquiry.
The agency’s reach extended beyond footballers to include entrepreneurs, VIPs, and other athletes. Investigators say the ring managed nearly 100 young women, many just over the age of consent, of whom about ten engaged in sexual acts for payment, although others served as image girls or companions at VIP gatherings. One woman is under investigation for allegedly both providing sexual services and recruiting others; the rest have been questioned as witnesses.
Forensic analysis of seized phones and devices is ongoing, with prosecutors seeking to confirm links between the keyword lists — which also include terms like “Mykonos,” “party,” “percentage,” “earnings,” “hotel,” “private,” and cryptic references such as “Ale Dubai” — and actual participation in the events. The outcome could determine whether the alleged infrastructure of facilitation can be proven beyond the financial traces already uncovered.
Why aren’t the footballers being investigated if their names appear in the investigation files?
Italian law does not criminalize the purchase of sexual services from consenting adults, so even if footballers used the service, they would not face charges unless coercion, minors, or exploitation were proven — none of which are alleged in their case.
What evidence suggests the agency offered more than just event planning?
Intercepted messages reference arranging paid companions (“I’ll send the Brazilian”), hotel stays, and access to nitrous oxide, with financial transfers exceeding €194,000 indicating a commercial scale beyond mere event coordination.
Could the investigation lead to broader scrutiny of similar networks in Italian sports or entertainment?
While the probe is focused on this specific group, its methods — financial tracing, digital forensics, and witness testimony — could serve as a model for examining other suspected facilitation rings, though no such expansion has been announced.