The New York Times accuses Paolo Zampolli: "He asked the Ice to expel his Brazilian ex-wife." He: "This account is not true, let me explain what really happened."

The shadow of an alleged abuse of power looms over Paolo Zampolli, special envoy to Italy for Trump and a well-known figure for his closeness to the U.S. president, being the man who introduced him to Melania.

An investigation by the New York Times claims that the entrepreneur leveraged his institutional connections to facilitate the deportation from the United States of his ex-wife, the Brazilian Amanda Ungaro, in a context already marked by a harsh legal battle over the custody of their teenage son.

According to the account from the prestigious U.S. newspaper, while Ungaro was detained in a Miami jail for alleged workplace fraud, Zampolli reportedly contacted a senior official at ICE, pointing out the irregularity of her immigration status. The New York Times names David Venturella, an agency official, who after speaking with Zampolli, allegedly called the Miami office ordering agents to pick up the woman before she was released on bail. The pressure reportedly had results: transferred to ICE custody, Ungaro was subsequently deported.

Reached in Milan, Zampolli denied the accusations, without labeling them as “fake news” but dismissing the New York newspaper's account as “certainly inaccurate,” framing it as a political attack on the Trump administration's immigration policies, just as Congress votes on funding for Homeland Security. The entrepreneur denied asking for favors or preferential treatment: “My requests were solely aimed at understanding the situation and any advice I sought was exclusively regarding the safety of my son.”

He stated that his ex-wife's legal position — involving an outstanding arrest warrant, an ongoing criminal proceeding, and a parallel investigation in Brazil — fully justified the authorities' determinations. The denial of bail, he insists, was not the result of undue pressure, but the outcome of judicial decisions based on official records that indicated a risk of reoffending. “Reporting alleged criminal activities or illegal conduct is a legal right,” he added.

In partial response to this version, the Department of Homeland Security of the United States stated in a note that the deportation occurred regularly due to a long-expired visa and serious fraud charges, calling the suggestion of an enforced departure for political favoritism “false.”

In his message released from Milan, Zampolli wrote: “First of all, I want to thank the New York Times for choosing such a nice archival portrait of me. While I wouldn’t call the report 'fake news,' it is certainly inaccurate.” He continued: “The article seems to be a targeted attack on the administration's immigration policies — especially at such a critical time, as we vote to fund Homeland Security and protect our nation and its allies during a period of global transitions and heightened security alerts. I am proud to serve and to put myself in the line of fire for my country. Everything I do is for the United States of America.”

Reiterating his defense, he stated: “I have never asked my colleagues for favors. My requests were solely aimed at understanding the situation, and any advice I sought was exclusively regarding the safety of my son.”