Fun-loving Fiat Heir Lapo Elkann Won't Be Going to Court, Despite High Expectations

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Lapo Elkann — rich person and grandson of late Fiat patriarch Gianni Agnelli — will not face charges for a November incident in which he told a family representative and the New York Police Department that he had been kidnapped.

Law enforcement sources claimed that Elkann had spent last Thanksgiving snorting cocaine, smoking marijuana, and drinking heavily with a 29-year-old escort, believing the kidnapping to be a ploy to acquire money to pay for the bender.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office said today that it will not prosecute Elkann, offering no further comment, Reuters reports.

Attorney Randy Zelin said he presented information to prosecutors, who reviewed it before determining no crime had been committed. While declining to share the information provided to the court, Zelin considered earlier reports of the incident “false news” and was pleased to see his client exonerated.

“We are very fortunate the district attorney listened to us, and conducted a thorough investigation,” he said.

Elkann entered rehab immediately after the scandal. “This has been a difficult period for me, but it has also given me time to reflect quietly upon what happened and also about the future,” she said in a statement.

While Elkann no longer holds any positions at Fiat, he is on the board of directors at Ferrari — one of the companies still controlled by his family.

[Image: Ferrari]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

Consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulations. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, he has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed about the automotive sector by national broadcasts, participated in a few amateur rallying events, and driven more rental cars than anyone ever should. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and learned to drive by twelve. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer and motorcycles.

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