ROME – One of Italy’s most famous adult movie directors, Riccardo Schicchi, and porn-star Eva Henger were sentenced to six years and 4-1/2 years respectively in prison on Friday for a running a prostitution racket in Rome.

Schicchi, whose films include “Chocolate Bananas” and “Pornopoker II”, is best known for helping launch the movie career of Ilona ‘Cicciolina’ Staller — who won a seat in the Italian parliament in the 1980s after campaigning semi-nude.

Henger, who like Staller is Hungarian, used to be married to Schicchi.

The two were convicted for bringing illegal immigrants from Hungary to work in Rome clubs, where they sometimes performed live sex acts and met clients.

“(Schicchi and Henger) have said they are absolutely innocent,” said one of Schicchi’s lawyers, Antonio Cardamone.

He said the pair would appeal the verdict once they had seen the court’s reasons for its ruling, due within 90 days. Both are free pending appeal.