Nicole Minetti is headed to prison for her role in providing prostitutes to the alcohol-fueled sex parties thrown by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Minetti was one of three people found guilty of procuring prostitutes for the so-called “Bunga Bunga” parties. Failed celebrity agent Lele Mora and television host Emilio Fede were each sentenced to seven years in jail, while Nicole Minetti got five years.
Minetti, who rose to power as a regional councillor in Berlusconi’s PDL party, was also banned from holding public office for five years. The 28-year-old was once hand-picked by Berlusconi to serve as a candidate for his party in the 2010 elections.
The scandal garnered international headlines as more sordid details of Berlusconi’s parties came to light. He reportedly hired strippers that included some dressed as nuns and a Moroccan-born dancer named Karima El-Mahroug, who was only 17 at the time.
Silvio Berlusconi himself has been sentenced to seven years in prison and given a lifetime ban on holding public office for paying for sex with El-Mahrough, who was nicknamed Ruby the Hearstealer. Prostitution is legal in Italy, but only after age 18.
At the trial, prosecutor Perto Forno said Nicole Minetti was one of the ones who arranged “orgies” at Berlusconi’s mansion . She and the two others convicted were compared to “tastes of fine wine” and reportedly got financial payments because they “know all the secrets” of the parties.
“They carried out a sort of exam of the capacities of the young women and then injected them into the circuit of soirées,” said Antonio Sangermano.
Nicole Minetti, who was once Berlusconi’s dental hygienist, was said to be an active participant in the parties and would perform sexual acts for money. She has denied arranging for anyone to come to Berlusconi’s parties and said she had a sentiment of “true love” for the Italian leader.