Anne Hathaway’s Ex-Boyfriend Follieri Pleads Guilty In Investment Fraud Scheme

Raffaello Follieri, former beau of actress Anne (Agent 99) Hathaway, pleaded guilty on Wednesday before US District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan to one count of conspiracy, eight counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering in connection with a real estate investment scheme he operated from 2005 to 2007. Follieri, who was indicted in June (earlier), admitted soliciting more than $2 million from investors by falsely claiming that he had close connections with the Vatican that enabled him to purchase unwanted Catholic Church properties in the US at a substantial discount, then converting the money to personal use. He will be sentenced on October 3; his plea agreement calls for a sentence of 51 to 63 months and requires him to forfeit over $2.4 million in cash plus expensive watches and other jewelry (WSJ, DOJ, plus Reuters on Hathaway’s reaction).