“Swiss Gigolo” Helg Sgbari Put In Jail For Defrauding BMW Heiress Susanne Klatten (Photos)

Posted on March 9, 2009

A man referred to as “the Swiss gigolo” by the German news agencies has been sentenced to six years in prison Monday for defrauding Germany’s richest woman, Susanne Klatten of around $9 million, and trying to blackmail her for tens of millions more! Read more on Susanne Klatten and the gigolo below.

This is a crazy story that will probably become a movie! BMW heiress Susanne Klatten was defrauded and blackmailed by Helg Sgarbi saying he would expose their affair if she didn’t pay up!

Helg Sgarbi admitted to the court that he threatened to release secretly recorded videotapes of his trysts with BMW heiress Susanne Klatten, 46, unless the married woman gave him money to keep quiet.

Sgarbi, 44, also admitted convincing Klatten to give him $9 million by saying it was for the treatment of a girl left paraplegic after a car crash with Sgarbi.

The Munich state court found Helg Sgarbi guilty of fraud and attempted blackmail.

Susanne Klatten did not attend the four-hour trial, and her attorney made no statement to the court. Her spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

So how did this even happen?

Helg Sgarbi told the court he met heiress Susanne Klatten at a spa near Innsbruck, Austria, in July 2007 and they started an affair.

Sgarbi then demanded Klatten leave her family and invest $367 million in a trust for him, according to the indictment. When she refused, he threatened to release secretly filmed videos of their affair.

Helg Sgarbi demanded $62 million not to tell her family, the heads of her companies and the media. He lowered the demand to $17.72 million but Klatten instead went to the police in January 2007. Sgarbi was arrested shortly in Austria’s Tyrolean Alps and has been held in detention since.

Prosecutor Thomas Steinkraus-Koch praised Klatten for her bravery in stepping forward.

From MSN news:

Klatten is the daughter of the late BMW magnate Herbert Quandt and holds a 46 percent stake in the company along with her mother and brother. She also owns a 88.3 percent share of chemical company Altana.

Forbes magazine listed her as the 68th richest person in the world last year, with a personal fortune of around $9.6 billion. The story has attracted vast media attention in Germany, where the Quandt family is regarded as quasi-royalty.

Sgarbi was also convicted of taking $3 million from three other women in similar scams. Prosecutors did not release the names of the three other victims.

“I deeply regret what has happened and apologize to the aggrieved ladies in this public hearing,” Sgarbi told the court. Sgarbi’s lawyer, Egon Gries, said his client would not answer any questions about where the money had gone or whether anyone had helped him.

Sgarbi had faced a possible 10-year sentence.

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