Prostitution is not a crime in Italy, but exploiting prostitutes, as Tarantini is alleged to have done to try to curry favours with Berlusconi to win state contracts, is. In a separate probe, Tarantini is jailed for allegedly extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from Berlusconi. The Italian prime minister says he gave Tarantini and Tarantini's wife, who was also arrested, money because he is a generous man who was trying to help a "family in need."