Fiat heir arrested over kidnap claim

One of the heirs to the Fiat automobile fortune, Lapo Elkann, has been arrested in New York for allegedly faking his own kidnapping, police said on Tuesday, amid reports that he was trying to pay for a weekend of debauchery.

According to several US media outlets, Elkann, the grandson of legendary Fiat founder Gianni Agnelli, tried to make his family believe he had been kidnapped when he ran out of money during a two-day bender of sex and drugs.

The 39-year-old Italian reportedly spent that time with a prostitute, with whom he consumed alcohol, marijuana and cocaine before running low on funds, the reports said.