Italy Confiscates Millions in Assets Allegedly Misappropriated from Bond Star Ursula Andress

Authorities in Italy have taken control of assets valued at €20 million ($23 million) in Florence, including real estate and artworks, allegedly funded through money stolen from actress Ursula Andress, famed for her role as a Bond girl. The confiscations were confirmed by Italy's financial police on Thursday.

This action comes after Andress reported a case of fraud to authorities in Switzerland, claiming she had been swindled by her financial advisers. The 90-year-old actress told the Swiss newspaper Blick that over an eight-year timeframe, she lost 18 million Swiss francs (approx. €20 million) to her long- time financial adviser, who has since passed away.

In her statements, Andress expressed her disbelief at the situation, saying, "I am still in shock. I was deliberately chosen as a victim. For eight years, I was courted and wooed. They lied to me shamelessly and exploited my goodwill in a perfidious, indeed criminal, way to take everything from me. They took advantage of my age."

Italian officials indicated that the funds misappropriated from Andress were invested in overseas companies, used to acquire various assets, and concealed through transactions specifically designed to obscure their source. Investigators have traced the stolen funds to 11 properties, 14 plots of land utilized for vineyards and olive groves, along with artworks and a variety of financial assets located in and around Florence.

There has been no announcement regarding any arrests made in connection with this investigation.

Andress, a Swiss national, rose to fame as Honey Ryder, the first Bond girl, in the 1962 film Dr. No, noted for her memorable entry from the ocean in a white bikini. She also appeared with Elvis Presley in Fun in Acapulco and shared the screen with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in Four for Texas before moving on to work in European cinema and television, ultimately retiring in the early 2000s.