TEMPO.CO, Milan - A Milan court has convicted the designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana of tax evasion, sentencing them to one year and eight months in jail. The pair were found guilty Wednesday of failing to declare €41 million in income to Italian authorities. The court ruling was announced on Wednesday morning, June 19, Milan time.
Prosecutor Laura Pedio said that investigators found that between 2004 and 2007 Dolce and Gabbana failed to tell Italian authorities about an offshoot company they'd set up in Luxembourg, costing Italy millions of euros in taxes.
"I'm very satisfied with the sentence," the prosecutor said. "It was a very elaborate (use of an offshore company) that appeared legal, but was illegal."
The fashion magnates' lawyer Massimo Dinoia vowed that the defense team will appeal the convictions as well as the related fines and sentences. "Dolce and Gabbana will not go to jail now or ever," Dinoia said.
Dolce and Gabbana debuted their brand in an October 1985 show in Milan. Since then, they have become one of the world's most recognizable and desired fashion companies, with an array of products and stores in many parts of the globe. The designers' clients include Madonna and Kate Moss among other high-profile celebrities
HADRIANI P | CNN | VOGUE