Latest news with #VillaPamphili
CTV News
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Italian film industry rocked by ‘fantasy film' linked to American director sought in double murder
A police officer walks past a sealed-off area where forensic police work at the site of the discovery of the body of an infant and the infant's mother, in Rome's Villa Pamphili park, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (Francesco Benvenuti/LaPresse via AP) ROME — The head of the Italian Culture Ministry's film department resigned Thursday following revelations that an American film director accused in a double homicide had secured nearly US$1 million in tax credits from the ministry for a film he never made. The Culture Ministry announced the resignation of Nicola Borrelli in a brief statement overnight, thanking him for his service. It didn't provide a reason. But the scandal over the 'fantasy film' tax credits erupted soon after Greek authorities on the island of Skiathos arrested the California-born Francis Kaufman last month on a European arrest warrant issued by Italy. Italian prosecutors have accused Kaufman in the deaths of an infant girl and her mother, whose bodies were found naked in Rome's Villa Pamphili park on June 7. Kaufman, who was using the alias Rexal Ford, is currently awaiting extradition to Italy. State-run RAI television has said that he told Italian prosecutors via video call that he was innocent, but declined to answer further questions without a lawyer. The Culture Ministry has confirmed that Kaufman, using the alias Ford and his Tintangel Films LLC company, had obtained the tax credit for a film, 'Stelle della Notte' (Stars of the Night), that was never made. The confirmation came in a statement last week in which the ministry confirmed it had handed over to prosecutors all the documentation it had in connection with the film, a co-production with an Italian firm Coevolutions Srl. Italian media have published ministry documentation showing that 'Stelle della Notte' had obtained 836,439.08 euros in tax credits in 2023. Such tax credits are a regular part of the financial incentives Italy gives to filmmakers to produce and distribute films in the country. On Wednesday, Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli told lawmakers that the ministry was co-operating fully with prosecutors, noting that he had personally accompanied the police when they arrived at the ministry June 27 to seize the material. In an appearance in the Senate chamber, Giuli acknowledged a long-standing problem in the ministry of financing and tax credits for projects that never get made. 'No more fantasy films,' he vowed. The resignation of Borrelli was the second earthquake this week in the Italian film industry, following the resignation over the weekend of the head of the storied Cinecitta film studio, Chiara Sbarigia. Sbarigia said in a statement that she was stepping down to concentrate on her other job as president of Italy's audio-visual producers association. Italian media and lawmakers had blasted her dual jobs as a conflict of interest, a claim that she and Giuli have denied. Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press
Irish Times
13-06-2025
- Irish Times
Italy arrests US man over mother and child deaths in Rome park
Italian police arrested a US citizen on Friday in connection with the death of a woman and her baby daughter whose naked bodies were found in a park in central Rome . The man, who was not named, was arrested on the Greek island of Skiathos, Rome's chief prosecutor, Francesco Lo Voi, told reporters at a news conference. The case has grabbed headlines in Italy since the mother and her child, who was less than one year old, were found dead on Saturday in Villa Pamphili, Rome's largest central city park. None of the people involved have been named, and prosecutors in the case told reporters they had still not been able to identify the mother or the child. READ MORE Italian newspapers have reported that the mother and child were also US citizens, but prosecutors did not confirm this. Mr Lo Voi said the arrested man had declared he was the father of the child, and there was 'robust evidence' that he had killed her, while the cause of death of the mother was less clear. The suspect flew to Skiathos from Rome on Wednesday, and his DNA would be examined to establish whether he was the father, the prosecutor said. He was arrested based on evidence including witness accounts and surveillance camera footage, while the fact he had flown to Greece shortly after being seen with the victims 'in itself doesn't count in his favour,' Mr Lo Voi said. Lead prosecutor Giuseppe Cascini said the man had been seen with the child in his arms after the presumed time of death of the mother. The evidence against the suspect was particularly strong regarding the death of the child, Mr Cascini said, but the case was 'a probable dual murder'. The prosecutors thanked the US FBI for its help in identifying the man, and the Greek authorities for their role in the arrest. The man, woman and child were first seen together in Italy in April, and there was no record of any of them in the country before then, they said. —Reuters
Reuters
13-06-2025
- Reuters
Italy arrests US man over mother and child deaths in Rome park, source says
ROME, June 13 (Reuters) - Italian police arrested a U.S. citizen on Friday in connection with the death of a woman and her baby daughter who were found dead in a park in central Rome, a judicial source said, confirming reports in Italian media. The man, who was not named, was arrested on the Greek island of Skiathos. The case has grabbed headlines in Italy since the mother and her child, who was a few months old, were found dead on Saturday in Villa Pamphili, Rome's largest central city park. Italian newspapers have reported that both the mother and child were also U.S. citizens, and that investigators believe the child was murdered and are still trying to establish the cause of death of the mother. Neither the mother nor the girl has been named. Prosecutors in the case were due to hold a press conference later on Friday at 16:30 (1430 GMT).
