Italian Singer Investigated Over Alleged Extortion of Fiorentina's Fagioli
Ludovico Franchitti, known as Ludwig, is one of five people under investigation over an alleged €40,000 extortion linked to Nicolò Fagioli's illegal gambling debts.
Italian prosecutors are investigating singer and DJ Ludovico Franchitti, known professionally as Ludwig, over his suspected role in blackmailing Fiorentina midfielder Nicolò Fagioli, according to a report by Casino.org News citing the newspaper La Repubblica.
Franchitti is suspected of helping extort €40,000 (about $46,000) from Fagioli by threatening to expose his illegal gambling activity and damage his career. He is one of five individuals named in the investigation.
Prosecutors believe the pressure followed a build-up of gambling debts exceeding €2 million that Fagioli had run up through illegal betting operations. On October 28, officers carried out a search warrant and seized Franchitti's phones as part of efforts to retrieve communications between the singer and the player, La Repubblica reported.
Franchitti, known for hits including Domani ci passa and for work with artists such as Gabry Ponte and J-Ax, previously surfaced in messages with Fagioli dating to 2023. In those exchanges, he allegedly claimed to hold screenshots that showed the midfielder placing bets on throw-ins while matches were underway.
Investigators want to establish whether that material was then used as leverage, with exposure threatened unless Fagioli handed over money.
Franchitti is separately being investigated over the alleged organisation of unauthorised betting activity, an allegation that also names another suspect, Andrea Petrini. Aggravated extortion is the suspected offence under scrutiny for two further figures, Luca Gerilli and a worker at a betting agency.
A fifth person implicated, businessman Fabio Capretti, faces scrutiny over alleged self-laundering, with prosecutors alleging that the €40,000 taken through extortion was then channelled back into the economy via commercial transactions. The lawyer acting for the betting agency worker has rejected the claims made against his client. None of the suspects has been found guilty of any offence.
Fagioli's gambling first became public in 2023, when his conduct was uncovered during a police investigation into illegal online gambling with alleged links to organised crime. He told the Turin Prosecutor's Office that year that he had accumulated €3 million ($3.2 million) in debts and was facing payment demands accompanied by threats and abuse.
The same investigation also implicated other Italian players, including Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali. Fagioli received a seven-month ban from football over the betting breaches, but in the current criminal case he is treated as the alleged victim rather than a suspect.
Police are reviewing electronic messages, banking records and financial transactions to establish how the disputed €40,000 changed hands and whether threats were made. Fagioli has previously described being warned by creditors that they would break his legs if he did not repay his debts, according to Italian media reports from October 2023.