Original Bond Girl Ursula Andress Was the Victim of a $23 Million Theft — Now $20 Million of Her Assets Have Been Recovered
Original Bond Girl Ursula Andress Was the Victim of a $23 Million Theft — Now $20 Million of Her Assets Have Been Recovered
Charna FlamFri, March 27, 2026 at 5:07 AM UTC
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Ursula Andress on November 1, 2017 in Rome, Italy.Credit: Venturelli/Getty -
In January, Ursula Andress filed a criminal complaint against her wealth manager, Eric Freymond’s estate, alleging she was defrauded out of 18 million Swiss Francs ($23 million worth)
On Thursday, March 26, Italian authorities seized $23 million worth of assets that were allegedly stolen from Andress
Andress is best known for her role as the first "Bond Girl" in Dr. No (1962)
Italian authorities have seized €20 million ($23 million) worth of assets that were allegedly stolen from Swiss actress Ursula Andress.
Italian finance authorities, Guardia di Finanza, confirmed the news on Thursday, March 26, in a Facebook post, stating that they had "seized assets, works of art and financial availability for around 20 million euros."
Andress, 90, is best known for her role as Honey Ryder in Dr. No (1962), opposite Sean Connery as the first “Bond girl."
She claimed her former longtime wealth manager, whom she identified as Eric Freymond, allegedly ran an international money-laundering scheme and used her assets to purchase Palazzo al Bosco, a 44-acre villa in Tuscany, The New York Times reported, citing Italian outlet Corriere Della Sera.
The property is known for its notable art collection.
Freymond denied the various claims that he misused several clients' money. He died in July 2025 in an apparent suicide.
In January, Andress filed a criminal complaint against Freymond's estate for embezzlement in Switzerland, per local outlet Blick. She told Blick at the time that she was defrauded out of 18 million Swiss Francs, approximately $23 million, after Freymond allegedly transferred money from a bank account without her consent to make fraudulent purchases.
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PEOPLE reached out to attorneys for Freymond's estate.
Ursula Andress in "Doctor No"Credit: Alamy
She said that she was suffering from anxiety due to being taken advantage of by people close to her, "This feeling of helplessness is unbearable – it’s killing me."
“I am still in shock," Andress told the outlet. “I was deliberately chosen as a victim. For eight years, I was courted and wooed. They lied to me unscrupulously and exploited my good will and trust in a perfidious and indeed criminal way in order to take everything from me.”
“I've worked hard and always saved my money," she said. "I hoped to spend my final years happily and peacefully. And now this happens – I've been disgustingly cheated! I hope the perpetrators are punished to the full extent of the law. I'm devastated.”
It remains unclear if any arrests were made.
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In addition to her groundbreaking role as the first "Bond girl," Andress starred in the James Bond parody Casino Royale. The actress also worked opposite Elvis Presley in Fun in Acapulco and Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in 4 for Texas.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
