Dolce and Gabbana convicted of tax evasion

A Milan court has convicted fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana of tax evasion.

The pair were found guilty Wednesday of failing to declare €1 billion ($1.37 billion Cdn) in income to authorities. The court sentenced them both to one year and eight months in jail.

Prosecutors argued that the pair had evaded taxes on income of €416 million each and €200 million through a Luxembourg-based company. The statute of limitations ran out on a charge of misrepresenting income.

The designers have denied the charges.

Two years ago, a judge threw out a tax evasion and fraud case against the pair, whose label Dolce&Gabbana is a Milan fashion mainstay. Italy's high court later ruled the designers could be prosecuted for tax evasion, though not for fraud.