The story proves truth is stranger than fiction: a male prostitute who serviced BMW heiress Susanne Klatten was put on trial this week for attempting to defraud her of millions of dollars. The 44-year-old gigolo's mellifluous name: Helg Sgarbi.
Klatten is the daughter of Herbert Quandt and together with her mother and brother owns a 46% stake in BMW. She also has a personal fortune worth $13.2 billion and is currently the 55th richest person in the world, so it’s not surprising that her gigolo sought to make a quick buck at her expense.
According to the Associated Press, Sgarbi tried to blackmail Klatten out of €7 million. He threatened to post images and a videotape of the two of them together but Klatten immediately went to the police and Sgarbi was eventually arrested. Facing a long and difficult trial, Sgarbi admitted to the crime and was sentenced to six years in prison today.
The final twist in the story: the gigolo is himself a Swiss banker, and claims he committed the blackmail because he had gotten on the wrong side of the Italian mafia. Even Bobby Goren would be scratching his head on this one.