Chico Forti's Transfer to Italy After 24 Years of Detention in the US Announced

I am happy to announce that after 24 years of detention in the United States, the authorization for the transfer of Chico Forti to Italy has been signed, a result of the diplomatic commitment of this government, cooperation with the State of Florida, and with the government of the United States which I thank. It is a day of joy for Chico, for his family, for all of us. We had promised it, we did it, and now we wait for Chico Forti in Italy. Premier Giorgia Meloni thus announced, in a video released in Washington, her most tangible result of the visit to the White House, where she discussed with Joe Biden the priorities of the G7 agenda, of which Italy holds the rotating presidency. For many years, various governments had endeavored to bring Forti back to Italy to serve his life sentence handed down in 2000 by a Florida court for the premeditated murder of an Australian businessman, of which he has always declared himself innocent. The Meloni executive now crowns these efforts in favor of the former Trentino surfer and television producer. "An extraordinary result of the Government and Italian diplomacy. Proud of our officials. In silence, we continue to achieve important results," commented on X the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani. "It's excellent news, also the result of the commitment and seriousness of the government. Another promise kept," echoed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Matteo Salvini. Chico Forti, who he is and what he did: sentenced to life imprisonment for murder (but he has always claimed innocence). Meloni announces: "He returns to Italy." The relatives rejoice, and so does Franco Ianeselli, mayor of Trento, his city: "In these years, the distance from home has made Chico's detention even harder. Now a new life begins for him, in his country, close to his loved ones. Finally, the hope of many has become reality." Andrea Bocelli also took the field, working behind the scenes and also speaking with the Italian-American governor of the Sunshine State, Ron DeSantis, while in recent weeks his wife Veronica had addressed the issue directly with Biden. The last word, however, belonged to DeSantis, after the Biden administration had given its go-ahead (as had previously also been given by Trump's). The Florida leader had given his "conditional approval" for the delivery of Forti more than three years ago, even though the Miami-Dade prosecutors pursuing him had opposed the transfer, asking for guarantees that the detainee would indeed serve his sentence, without reductions. The families of the victim and the Australian government agreed with the decision to have Forti serve the rest of his sentence in Italy, and yesterday Ryan Newman, the legal advisor to DeSantis, sent a letter to the US Department of Justice stating that Florida had accepted the transfer now because the federal authorities had stated that "it is in the national interest as it is beneficial to promote the relationship between the governments of Italy and the United States." Forti, who is now 65 years old, has always insisted on his innocence in a case considered controversial, even compared to that of Amanda Knox, the American accused of murder in Italy but who was ultimately acquitted. In 1990 he participated in the television quiz Telemike and, presenting on the history of windsurfing, won a large sum of money with which he moved to the US, divorcing his Italian wife and marrying an American model, Heather Crane. Then he began a sports career in windsurfing and then, after a car accident, as a producer of extreme sports films. Forti is accused of the murder of Anthony "Dale" Pike, shot in the head in 1998 in Miami. Pike had flown to the Florida city to discuss a settlement agreement between Forti and his father, Tony Pike, who had agreed to sell him a resort in Ibiza, which became famous during the '80s, when Queen singer Freddie Mercury celebrated his 41st birthday there. According to the prosecution, Tony Pike was suffering from dementia and Forti had attempted to deceive him. Pressed, Forti admitted to having picked up Pike at the airport but always denied having shot him, claiming to have left him at a restaurant. A key piece of evidence used to link Forti to the murder was the sand found in his car, a sand typical of the beach where the body was found.