TLDR Italian prosecutors are investigating five people over an alleged €40,000 ($46,000) extortion of soccer player Nicolò Fagioli. Pop singer and DJ Ludovico Franchitti, known as Ludwig, is among the suspects. Police seized the singer’s phones during an October 28 search. A businessman is under investigation for allegedly laundering the €40,000 through commercial deals. Fagioli, who served a seven-month ban in 2023 for betting, is treated as the alleged victim in this case.
Italian prosecutors are investigating five people over an alleged scheme to extort €40,000 ($46,000) from soccer player Nicolò Fagioli. The midfielder, who now plays for Fiorentina, is treated as the alleged victim in the case.
The probe centers on claims that Fagioli was threatened with public exposure of his illegal gambling. Prosecutors suspect those threats were used to pressure him into paying, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
One of the suspects is Italian singer and DJ Ludovico Franchitti, who performs under the stage name Ludwig. No findings of guilt have been made against any of the five suspects.
From Banned Player to Alleged Victim
Fagioli’s career at Juventus was derailed in 2023 when his gambling habits were exposed. They came to light during a police investigation into illegal online betting with links to organized crime.
He was handed a seven-month ban from soccer that year for betting on games. Other Italian players, including Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali, were also caught up in that investigation.
In June 2023, Fagioli reportedly told the Turin Prosecutor’s Office he had built up debts of €3 million. He said he was receiving payment demands that involved threats and abuse.
In testimony reported by Italian media in October 2023, he recalled creditors warning they would break his legs if he did not repay them. Unlike the earlier disciplinary