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| Fiat heir Lapo Elkann 'faked own kidnapping' in New York | Fiat heir Lapo Elkann 'faked own kidnapping' in New York |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| An heir to the Fiat fortune stands accused of falsely claiming he had been kidnapped by a transgender prostitute. | An heir to the Fiat fortune stands accused of falsely claiming he had been kidnapped by a transgender prostitute. |
| Lapo Elkann called his family from New York to demand a $10,000 (£8,000) ransom "to guarantee his safety", a US official told the Associated Press. | Lapo Elkann called his family from New York to demand a $10,000 (£8,000) ransom "to guarantee his safety", a US official told the Associated Press. |
| But having found him in Manhattan, investigators now believe he concocted the story after he ran out of money following a drink and drugs binge. | But having found him in Manhattan, investigators now believe he concocted the story after he ran out of money following a drink and drugs binge. |
| The grandson of Fiat's Gianni Agnelli is now due in court in January. | |
| 'Very interesting characters' | 'Very interesting characters' |
| Mr Elkann, who was arrested on a misdemeanour charge of falsely reporting an incident, had only arrived in the US last week. | Mr Elkann, who was arrested on a misdemeanour charge of falsely reporting an incident, had only arrived in the US last week. |
| The Italian had told his Instagram followers he was going abroad to pursue "a lot of projects in development... a lot of new ideas" in a rambling video posted on Thursday. | The Italian had told his Instagram followers he was going abroad to pursue "a lot of projects in development... a lot of new ideas" in a rambling video posted on Thursday. |
| Mr Elkann, dressed in a bright red suit, also said the business trip would bring him into contact with "many very interesting characters". | Mr Elkann, dressed in a bright red suit, also said the business trip would bring him into contact with "many very interesting characters". |
| Instead, media reports in the US and Italy say the 39-year-old spent two days with the woman, before calling his family in order to get more money. | Instead, media reports in the US and Italy say the 39-year-old spent two days with the woman, before calling his family in order to get more money. |
| He claimed he had been held in a Manhattan flat from about 17:00 local time on Friday, until police arrested him outside a public housing complex at about 02:00 local time on Sunday. | He claimed he had been held in a Manhattan flat from about 17:00 local time on Friday, until police arrested him outside a public housing complex at about 02:00 local time on Sunday. |
| Mr Elkann, who was born in New York, is a Fiat shareholder but has no official role in the company. | Mr Elkann, who was born in New York, is a Fiat shareholder but has no official role in the company. |
| Instead, Mr Elkann - who made headlines in Italy in 2005 after he was hospitalized for a drug overdose in Turin - runs a company called Italia Independent. | Instead, Mr Elkann - who made headlines in Italy in 2005 after he was hospitalized for a drug overdose in Turin - runs a company called Italia Independent. |
| Mr Elkann has not yet returned a message seeking comment from AP. His publicist, Alessia Margiotta Broglio, declined to comment. | Mr Elkann has not yet returned a message seeking comment from AP. His publicist, Alessia Margiotta Broglio, declined to comment. |