An unknown Formula 1 driver may be involved in a major Italian investigation into an escort network. Italian media reported this week. Dozens of Serie A players, from Italy’s main football league, are also said to be named. No name of the Formula 1 driver has been released yet, nor whether it is a driver from the current grid.
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The judicial investigation into an organized network surrounding luxury escort services is ongoing in the Italian city of Milan. The network is said to have offered so-called ‘all-inclusive’ packages through exclusive clubs and hotels to a wealthy clientele, including well-known athletes. According to the judiciary, it was a tightly organized business model involving escort services, which also allegedly involved money laundering, exploitation, and prostitution. However, the investigation is still ongoing.
According to various Italian media – based on intercepted conversations and judicial documents – one of the intercepted conversations contained a request for an escort from ‘a friend who drives in Formula 1’. However, no identity has been disclosed. Furthermore, no Formula 1 driver, from the present or past, has been charged in connection with the case. The Italian La Gazzetta dello Sport stated that the Formula 1 reference is unconfirmed and anonymous.
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Italian Tax Agency
It is not the first time that Formula 1 has been mentioned in connection with an investigation by the Italian authorities. Earlier this week, it was also announced that the Italian tax authorities have tightened control over tax rules surrounding sporting events. Should drivers, according to the Italian financial police Guardi de Finanza, not have correctly declared their income from the Grands Prix of Monza, Imola, and in 2020 Mugello, an additional assessment of hundreds of millions of euros could follow.
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