Overview

• The Tribunale di Reggio Emilia acquitted eleven of fourteen defendants and imposed suspended sentences on Federica Anghinolfi (two years), Francesco Monopoli (one year and eight months) and Flaviana Murru (five months).
• Prosecutors had sought a combined total of 70 years behind bars, but the court delivered only suspended terms for the three convicted individuals.
• The trial centered on claims that local officials and psychotherapists fabricated child-abuse allegations to profit from foster placements.
• A 2024 justice reform that removed key office-abuse offenses limited the charges that could be upheld against several defendants.
• The highly politicized case had been used by right-wing leaders to criticize the Democratic Party, contrasting sharply with the court’s narrow convictions.