Italian businessman Raffaello Follieri, who recently split from long-time girlfriend actress Anne Hathaway, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of operating a fraudulent real estate scheme that he claimed was linked to the Vatican.
Follieri, 29, was charged with conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering, in a criminal complaint unsealed in Manhattan Federal Court on Tuesday.
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.
The “Get Smart” and ”The Devil Wears Prada” star who had dated Follieri for several years, split with him just a week ago, according to reports.
You can see all the details from the FBI in the complaint here.
Reporting by Emily Chasan
REUTERS/Carlos Barria
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