Maurizio Gucci was shot dead in Milan in 1995 on the order of his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani

In 1982 Paolo Gucci fell out with his father Aldo and sued him and the company over control of the firm. The suit exposed a tax scheme. In January 1986 Aldo, aged 81, pleaded guilty in New York to evading federal income tax and was ordered to pay $7.4 million. He served a year and a day at Eglin Federal Prison Camp in Florida. Rodolfo Gucci died in 1983 and his son Maurizio became the largest shareholder, then sued his uncle Aldo for control. Investcorp of Bahrain bought 47.8% in 1988. In 1993 Maurizio sold it the rest for between $160 million and $170 million, and the family's ownership ended. On 27 March 1995 a gunman shot Maurizio four times at his office building. He was 46. Police arrested his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani on 31 January 1997. In November 1998 a Milan court sentenced her to 29 years for ordering the killing and the gunman, Benedetto Ceraulo, to life. Prosecutors said she wanted control of his fortune. In 2000 an appeal court cut her term to 26 years. She was released in October 2016. In 2017 a court ruled she was still owed nearly £1 million a year from his estate under their divorce terms. In October 2025 a Milan judge refused her daughters Alessandra and Allegra control of her affairs. In June 2026 a Milan court declared her mother's will false, opening an inheritance estimated at €20 million. On 8 August 2026 she was in intensive care in Rimini.