Rome prosecutors have notified businesswoman Maria Rosaria Boccia that preliminary investigations are complete, paving the way for potential criminal charges including stalking against a RAI journalist. Boccia was central to a scandal last September that led to the resignation of then-Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.
Prosecutors Giuseppe Cascini, Giulia Guccione, and Barbara Trotta allege multiple offenses: stalking, assault, unlawful interference in private life, defamation, and falsifying credentials in an event management resume. Named victims include Sangiuliano, his wife, and Francesco Gilioli, the ministry’s former chief of staff.
The probe began after Sangiuliano filed a complaint weeks following Boccia’s rejected appointment as a ministry advisor – a controversy that also led to investigations against RAI’s Paris correspondent for embezzlement and revealing state secrets (later dropped).
The stalking indictment details Boccia’s “obsessive, repeated conduct and invasive control” over Sangiuliano’s private, professional, and institutional life during and after their extramarital affair. Prosecutors claim this caused Sangiuliano “enduring and severe anxiety and fear,” manifesting as extreme stress, significant weight loss, suicidal thoughts, forced lifestyle changes, public image damage, and ultimately his ministerial resignation.
According to investigators, Boccia allegedly sought increasing access to Sangiuliano’s ministerial work to justify daily presence in his offices, while discrediting his close aides to isolate him. She reportedly demanded repeated access to his institutional mobile phone – including passwords, remote access, or physical inspection.
Prosecutors further allege Boccia compelled Sangiuliano to remove his wedding ring from June 11, 2024, ultimately stealing it. They cite harassing incidents, including an August 2024 Instagram post stating, “Remember life is like a restaurant: no one leaves without paying,” deemed punitive for Sangiuliano’s official trip to Egypt with his wife.
Boccia allegedly forced Sangiuliano to sleep alone in a Rome B&B under dietary restrictions, requiring him to lie to his wife about going to Naples. On August 3, 2023, after he refused her demands for a confidentiality pact and a Naples meeting, she reportedly published unauthorized photos of him at Positano beach and of them at a Rome Coldplay concert, offering removal only if he traveled to Naples under her specified terms.
On August 8, 2023, she allegedly faked a pregnancy-related illness, falsely claiming a hospital visit. The aggravated assault charge stems from an alleged July 16-17 incident in Sanremo where Boccia reportedly struck Sangiuliano’s head, causing an injury he photographed.
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