Udine court acquits five in art and book fraud trial

A court in Udine has acquitted five individuals accused of aggravated fraud following the sale of paintings and rare books to a 97-year-old woman in Friuli. The transactions, totaling over 200,000 euros, were initially flagged by the victim's bank director due to unusual account activity.

The defendants included three individuals linked to art galleries in Bergamo and two sellers from Naples. Prosecutors had originally charged the group with the exploitation of a person unable to understand or will, later reframing the charge to aggravated fraud based on the victim's perceived fragility.

However, the judge acquitted the defendants under the formula ‘perché il fatto non sussiste’ (because the fact does not exist). Defense experts and evidentiary proceedings established that the buyer was mentally competent and capable of making her own decisions. Furthermore, expert testimony demonstrated that the sale prices for the artworks and books were consistent with market values.