‘Fake George Clooney’ nabbed in Thailand for hustling bogus fashion line
An Italian man accused of posing as George Clooney to hawk clothes online was arrested with his wife in Thailand after years on the run, police said Sunday.
Francesco Galdelli, 58, and spouse Vanja Goffi, 45 — dubbed the “Italian Bonnie and Clyde” — were nabbed Saturday in a luxury villa in Pattaya following a joint operation by Interpol agents from Rome and Thai authorities.
“During interrogation, Francesco confessed to claiming to be George Clooney and opening a clothes business to trick people into sending money,” a statement from Thailand’s Crime Suppression Division said, according to Agence France-Presse.
The fugitives are also wanted in Italy for a slew of scams, including selling fake Rolex watches online — and sending packets of salt to customers instead of the timepieces, the statement said.
The case against the accused hoaxers stretches back years.
Clooney testified against them in 2010, telling a Milan court that the pair and another accomplice used his name to sell a fashion line. The Oscar-winner said he never OK’d any affiliation with the bogus brand “GC Exclusive by George Clooney.”
Authorities said the scammers duped investors out of more than $128,000, according to the Bangkok Post. They were sentenced to eight years and four months in jail on fraud charges but fled.
The couple have been wanted on an Interpol red notice since 2013. They’ve been in Thailand since 2014, police said.
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They will be charged with overstaying their visas in Thailand before extradition proceedings begin.