Netflix documentary tackles $400 million German shepherd scam

An upcoming Netflix documentary plans to delve into the bizarre swindle of an Italian pharmaceutical heir who claimed his dog Gunther VI controlled a $400 million fortune.

The newly released trailer for Gunther’s Millions, a four-part series set for release on February 1, reveals new revelations about the long-running prank, which was helmed by Maurizio Mian.

The trailer released on Monday hints at revelations about a “cult-like” home full of attractive young people who “worked” for the dog and includes Mian’s outlandish new claim that Gunther VI is a clone.

For decades, Mian claimed to work for a family line of German shepherds by the name of Gunther, while using the ruse to gain press coverage and promote his various real estate deals and ventures.

In Mian’s Tale of the Dogs, the Gunthers are allegedly supported by a multi-million dollar trust set up by German Countess Karlotta Liebenstein when she died in 1992 to care for her dog Gunther III and his offspring.

An upcoming Netflix documentary delves into the long-running hoax of Maurizio Mian (above) who claimed his dog Gunther VI controls a $400 million fortune

There is no evidence that Liebenstein ever existed, and Mian told an Italian newspaper in 1995 that the Countess was “just an invention to popularize the philosophy of his foundation”.

However, Mian has elsewhere claimed that his confessions about the Countess are the real hoax and that the tales about the dog are in fact real.

Executive producers Aurelien Leturgie and Emilie Dumay attempt to uncover the truth behind Mian’s stories in the upcoming Netflix documentaries.

A statement from Netflix says the show will feature “never-before-seen archive footage” as well as “intimate and sometimes shocking conversations with Mian and the rest of Gunther’s longtime collaborators.”

“Over the past 30 years, Mian has built an empire on behalf of his dog boss, including glamorous property purchases, controversial social experiments and one of the biggest tax fraud schemes of all time,” the statement said.

“It’s a fairy tale that’s both beautiful and bizarre, and of course there are a lot of questions,” Netflix said.

Mian claimed Gunther VI. Live a luxurious life and enjoy private planes and yachts

The trailer unveils revelations about a house full of “amazing looking” human companions for Gunther VI who were under 24/7 surveillance and “encouraged to have sex”.

The trailer released Monday shows excerpts from interviews with several of Gunther VI’s “employees” and other human associates

Some journalists were fooled by Mian’s story that Gunther VI. bought a home from Madonna for $7.5 million in 2000. The house was bought by a company related to Mian

The trailer released Monday shows excerpts from interviews with several of Gunther VI’s “employees” and other human associates.

“You’re talking about a dog that’s worth $400 million,” says one woman, adding with an eye roll, “Oh, that’s a true story. I work for the dog.”

The trailer teases revelations about a house full of human companions for Gunther VI being put under 24/7 surveillance and “encouraged to have sex”.

“He wanted young people who were fantastic looking to live with a rich dog,” says one man. ‘I’m going, ‘Are you crazy?’

“I wanted to be a tick on that dog’s ass for the rest of my life,” says another man.

When asked by an interviewer if the situation was “cult-like,” the man laughed and denied the accusation as “hilarious.”

Another woman says: “As long as we stay at the mansion with Gunther we will only enjoy the millions. It’s been twisted a bit.’

“We were like lab rats,” she added.

The documentary follows a series of stories about Gunther narrated by Mian, who has been telling stories about the dogs since the 1990s

In a clip from the trailer, Mian can be seen in an old media appearance with one of the Gunthers

At the end of the trailer, Mian comes up with another amazing new claim, saying, “The dogs were cloned.”

The documentary follows a series of stories about Gunther told by Mian, who has repeatedly deceived journalists.

In 2021, many journalists were fooled by Mian’s story that Gunther VI. sold a Miami mansion for $31.75 million after buying Madonna’s home for $7.5 million.

Even the Associated Press, a reputable news outlet, covered the story after receiving a press release from publicists representing the real estate agents who had the listing.

The AP later retracted the story and published a new report debunking Mian’s claims.

“The AP published a story that didn’t meet our standards and shouldn’t have been published. We have not performed our due diligence in the reporting process. We’ve corrected the story and apologize for it,” AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton said in a statement.

The German shepherd Gunther VI. sits by the pool of a home officially owned by pop star Madonna in 2021. The claim that the dog is selling the mansion has fooled many journalists

German shepherd Gunther VI chases a tennis ball thrown by self-proclaimed “handler” Stacey Marino outside a house officially owned by pop star Madonna in 2021

German shepherd Gunther VI sits on a lavish red velvet round bed overlooking Biscayne Bay in the home formerly owned by Madonna

The AP’s corrected report noted that the director of Gunther Group, the company that actually owned Madonna’s former home, declined to answer questions because “there’s an exclusive deal with a Netflix production.”

In 1999, The Miami Herald reported that Gunther IV was trying to buy a mansion from actor Sylvester Stallone. The next day, the Herald reported that it was just a publicity stunt.

“If you want to write that it’s a joke, you can write that,” Mian told the Herald. ‘I will do nothing.’

Mian’s own fortune appears to have come from his family’s Italian pharmaceutical company, not a German countess.

The Istituto Gentili, which had developed a drug against osteoporosis with the US pharmaceutical giant Merck, was taken over by Merck in 1997.