4. Silvio Berlusconi
Net Worth: $7.5 Billion
- Starting in the late 1970s, Silvio Berlusconi built media group Fininvest into a national force, importing American shows like ‘Baywatch’ to Italy.
- He entered politics in the 1990s and was first appointed prime minister of Italy in 1994. He was convicted of bribing a former senator in 2015.
- The three-time prime minister was convicted of tax fraud in 2014 and was initially banned from running for political office until 2019.
- An Italian court lifted the ban in May 2018, and Berlusconi won a seat in the European Parliament the following year.
- His fortune, which he shares with his five children, includes stakes in media, publishing and banking firms.