Billionaire, Former Banker Among Dozens Probed In Hacking Of Italian Government Databases

The billionaire scion of an eyewear empire and a former banker are under investigation in connection with the hacking of Italian government databases by private investigators, according to a report Sunday.

Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio and Matteo Arpe are both named in a prosecution document tied to a series of arrests in the case, Bloomberg said.

Del Vecchio, son of the late Luxottica founder Leonardo Del Vecchio, is among dozens of people under investigation, Reuters reported earlier.

Del Vecchio, 29, is the chief strategy officer at successor company EssilorLuxottica, the world's largest eyewear manufacturer, and has a personal fortune estimated at $5.1 billion, according to Forbes.

Reuters quoted his lawyer as saying Del Vecchio was "eagerly awaiting the completion of preliminary investigations to be able to prove he has nothing to do with the events in question and that charges laid against him have no basis."

"He seems to be rather a victim given initial allegations and the negative outcome of the search conducted," lawyer Maria Emanuela Mascalchi said in a statement.

Also named in the prosecution document is Matteo Arpe, former CEO of Italy's Capitalia bank and a former director of Banca Profilo, according to Bloomberg.

An Arpe lawyer said that Arpe was "surprised" by the allegations against him and that the matter involved a business dealing in a private family matter, Bloomberg reported.

The lawyer also reportedly said Arpe, 59, was fully cooperating with authorities.

Milan-based Banca Profilo said in a statement that was also cooperating with authorities and had hired an outside firm for professional and legal investigative services, Bloomberg reported.

Four people have been placed under house arrest as part of a probe into a private intelligence company run by a former police officer, Reuters said, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

The company allegedly hacked into three government databases containing information about suspicious financial activities, police investigations and citizens' income statements, bank transactions and utility bills, Reuters said.

The confidential data was allegedly sold to customers or used to blackmail business figures and politicians from at least 2019 until March 2024, Reuters said, citing a court document.

Italy's national anti-Mafia prosecutor, Giovanni Melillo, said Saturday that the case shed light on the "gigantic market for confidential information" which has taken on "a business-like dimension," Reuters said, citing Italy's ANSA news agency.