Italian financial police have executed a major asset seizure, confiscating approximately 20 million euros worth of property, artworks, and financial holdings in and around Florence. The assets are alleged to have been purchased with money stolen from Swiss actress Ursula Andress, the iconic original Bond girl.
Investigation Launched After Andress Reports Fraud
The seizures stem from an investigation initiated after Andress reported to Swiss authorities that she had been swindled by her financial advisers. The 90-year-old actress told Swiss newspaper Blick in January that she was defrauded of 18 million Swiss francs, roughly equivalent to 20 million euros, over an eight-year period by a long-time financial adviser who has since died.
"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."
Complex Financial Trail Uncovered
According to Italian authorities, the stolen funds were invested in foreign companies, used to acquire assets, and then channeled through a series of transactions designed to obscure their illicit origin. The sophisticated money laundering operation was meticulously traced by investigators.
The impounded assets include 11 real estate properties and 14 plots of land cultivated as vineyards and olive groves in the Tuscan countryside. Additionally, numerous artworks and various financial assets located in Florence and its surrounding areas were seized. Authorities have not disclosed whether any arrests have been made in connection with the case.
Ursula Andress: A Cinematic Icon
Swiss-born Ursula Andress is best remembered as the first Bond girl, Honey Ryder, in the 1962 film "Dr. No." Her unforgettable entrance, emerging from the sea in a white bikini, cemented her status as a cinematic legend. Her career flourished with roles alongside Elvis Presley in "Fun in Acapulco" and with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in "Four for Texas."
Andress later transitioned to a successful career in European cinema and television before retiring in the early 2000s. This recent case highlights the vulnerabilities even celebrated figures can face in complex financial matters.
