Founder of Facile.it arrested for sexual violence and kidnapping

Entrepreneur Alberto Maria Genovese, 43, founder of Facile.it, has been arrested in Milan on charges of sexual violence, drug dealing, and kidnapping. The arrest took place on Saturday evening around 11:30 PM, following a report from an 18-year-old girl, the alleged victim of the crimes.

According to investigative reconstructions, during a party organized by the man in an apartment in central Milan, the young woman was allegedly forced to endure repeated sexual acts and to take narcotic substances. The girl, drugged, was reportedly taken to a bedroom where a bodyguard controlled access, preventing even her friends from entering.

The entrepreneur was apprehended while, according to wiretaps, he was about to leave Italy on a private jet headed for South America. The apartment where the violence allegedly occurred, named "Terrazza Sentimento," has been seized by investigators.

Alberto Maria Genovese is a Neapolitan entrepreneur best known for founding Facile.it, a price comparison portal sold in 2014 for over 100 million euros. He subsequently launched Prima.it, a startup that last year secured a record funding round of 100 million euros from funds such as Goldman Sachs and Blackstone.

The investigation was initiated by the Milan Prosecutor's Office, led by Deputy Prosecutor Maria Letizia Mannella, following the hospitalization of the 18-year-old girl. According to the reconstruction, during a party on October 10th in an apartment overlooking the Duomo, the young woman was allegedly bound hand and foot, forced into erotic games, and drugged with cocaine and ketamine.

The situation came to light when the victim, after many hours of detention, managed to contact a friend. The investigation led to the acquisition of wiretaps that became crucial evidence, also revealing the entrepreneur's intention to flee abroad to escape justice.