Raffaello Follieri has continued his scuzzy ways, thankfully without embarrassing his (now ex) girlfriend Anne Hathaway . She so did not need this during her press rounds for Get Smart , especially considering her close call just this week.
Maybe having a con-artist boyfriend (excuse me, ex) would be a little hot if he weren’t so bad at it: Follieri was arrested today on suspicion of operating a fradulent real estate scheme that he claimed was somehow related to the Vatican. The charges? Wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy in Manhattan Federal Court. Here’s more :
The complaint contends Follieri got millions of dollars in investment money from a private equity firm based on his misrepresentations that he had close connections with the Vatican that enabled him to buy the Catholic Church’s unwanted U.S. real estate properties at a discount.
Instead, Follieri and others used the investors’ money for expensive clothes and restaurant meals, a $37,000-a-month Manhattan apartment, dog-walking services and other personal expenditures including medical expenses for his girlfriend at the time, according to the complaint.
Follieri is currently being held on $21 million bail and will remain on house arrest if he does pay it out. I’d say that Anne got out while the getting was good, wouldn’t you?
Image: WireImage
