Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
No Hope in Pope: Hathaway's Ex in Hell of a Jam
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 25, 2008
Modified Jun 25, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 25, 2008
Modified Jun 25, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Screengrab of NYPost.com's Follieri news item from last night--why no pope hat on the cover?
Scandalous details have emerged from yesterday’s arrest of Italian socialite Raffaello Follieri, who was dragged into federal court on a 12-count complaint that includes charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering. The allegations could net him nine years in jail, and because of that bail was set at $21 million, “to be secured by $16 million in cash and property and guaranteed by five financially responsible persons,” according to the Times. Follieri was also compelled to turn over all travel documents and will have to wear a tracking anklet when he leaves his apartment, but there must be a way to get it cast in gold and engraved with his monogram.
The Post has it that Follieri was carrying $15,000 in cash on him when he was arrested, which isn’t surprising considering the allegations that he’s habitually blown investors’ money on a lavish lifestyle that includes a $37,000/month apartment overlooking Rockefeller Center and extravagant vacations with Hathaway and friends. Prosecutors estimate that Follieri duped investors in his real estate company out of about $2.5 million to $6 million.
The allegation most treasured by the tabloids has to do with Follieri’s bogus claims that he was formally appointed financial manager for the Vatican, therefore able to buy Church property at below-market prices. To maintain the ruse, prosecutors say Follieri hired two monsignors to accompany him to business meetings. He also kept different ceremonial robes in his office, and once asked a monsignor to change out of his robes and don the robe of a more senior clergyman to lend a meeting more clout.
All the allegations are separate from an ongoing investigation by the New York attorney general into the Follieri Foundation, which is supposed to vaccinate children in developing countries but hasn’t filed required U.S. tax disclosure forms. Follieri's former girlfriend, actress Anne Hathaway, once sat on the board of the foundation, but is now distancing herself from the charity and her ex; NY Mag says everyone should go easy on her because she was blinded by love, just like in the movies. Immediately following yesterday’s court appearance, Follieri was rushed to the hospital after what his lawyer described as “some sort of attack.”
Tagged
anne hathaway
arrested
charged
check fraud
check kiting
crime
foundation
laundering
Probe
Raffaello Follieri
Ron Burkle
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .