The Plot Thickens: Judges Reportedly Believe Dolce & Gabbana “Intentionally” Avoided Paying Higher Taxes

The judges who found Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana guilty of tax evasion in April have spoken up, saying that they believe the designers were aware of the dealings.

“It is not at all believable that the designers, once made aware of the project [to avoid Italian taxes], could feel they were operating legally,” Judge Laura Cariati told WWD, adding that D&G’s plan to avoid Italy’s higher corporate taxes was “intentional.” The judges also reportedly believe that the holdings company, Gado’s, management and main operation was located in Italy and not Luxembourg, as D&G had claimed.

This, of course, comes after D&G’s lawyer’s defense that both designers were only focused on “models, their fabrics and events” and do not deal with “bills and schemes to cut their tax rate.”

Dolce and Gabbana were sentenced to one year and six months in jail, though neither are likely to serve any real time because their sentence is under two years.