Karima El Mahroug Net Worth
What is Karima El Mahroug’s net worth?
Karima El Mahroug is a Moroccan nightclub dancer who has a net worth of $5 million. She shot to fame when she had a relationship with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as a minor. They both deny the relationship was sexual, but wiretap phone conversation transcripts cited by Italian media suggest she began acquaintance with Berlusconi at the age of 16.
Before that, she was arrested in Milan for allegedly stealing 3,000 euros. Although Berlusconi was convicted in 2013 of having sex with a minor El Mahroug, an appeals court overturned the conviction the following year.
early life
Karima El Mahroug was born in Morocco in 1993. At the age of ten, she moved with her family to Italy, settling in the Sicilian coastal town of Letoianni. El Mahroug had a difficult childhood. A victim of constant abuse, she was raped by her two uncles and forced to remain silent under threats of further violence. When El Mahroug was 12, her Muslim father threw a boiling pot of oil at her when she said she wanted to be Catholic. In order to cope with her situation and relieve her pain, the young girl invents a parallel fantasy world. She also reportedly lived a life of petty theft, stealing handbags and money. As a teenager, El Mahroug ran away from home, in and out of nursing facilities. She later became a belly dancer in a Moroccan nightclub, where she went under the stage name Ruby Rubacuori, which means “Ruby the Heart Stealer” in Italian.
theft arrest
In May 2010, El Mahroug was arrested in Milan after being accused of stealing 3,000 euros. Without any legal or identification documents, she was taken to the local police headquarters for questioning. A few hours later, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi called Milan’s police chief. He asserted that El Mahroug was the niece of then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and ordered her release to avoid a diplomatic crisis. Eventually, Berlusconi released the girl and entrusted her care to Nicole Minetti, a dancer and dental hygienist representing Berlusconi’s Liberal People’s Party and serving on the Lombardy Regional Council . It was through Minetti that Berlusconi first met El Mahroug, then 17 years old.
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sex scandal
El Mahroug was reportedly presented with money and jewellery by the Italian prime minister at a dinner at Berlusconi’s mansion near Milan. In 2011, Berlusconi was under criminal investigation for allegedly having sex with an underage El Mahroug, who was then labelled a prostitute. In addition, he was accused of abusing his position by using his powers to release her. Further investigation concluded that El Mahroug was part of a larger prostitution network in which underage girls were recruited to sex parties with Berlusconi. The parties were reportedly arranged by TV anchor Emilio Feder and celebrity agent Lele Mora.
Berlusconi trial
Following a criminal investigation in early 2011, Berlusconi was charged with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison; the charges included malfeasance and sexual relations with a minor. El Mahroug chose not to participate in the case as a civil complainant because she denies any involvement in wrongdoing. Another alleged victim, Giorgia Iafrate, also declined to participate in the case. In the summer of 2013, Berlusconi was eventually convicted of having sex with a minor El Mahroug and of abusing his authority to order her release from police custody. The court of first instance sentenced Berlusconi to seven years in prison and banned him from holding public office for life.
In early 2014, Berlusconi appealed the judge’s decision. Later that July, an Italian appeals court ruled that his appeal was successful and overturned his conviction. In March 2015, the High Court upheld the acquittal. However, in early 2017, an Italian court ordered Berlusconi to stand trial again for allegedly bribing witnesses to keep them silent on the scandal.
after the scandal
Turning her role in the sex scandal to her advantage, El Mahroug began appearing in lucrative TV interviews and commercials. In addition, she is featured in various nightclubs all over Italy. El Mahroug later married a nightclub manager and became a mother.
