WOULD YOU LIKE SOME (ROTTEN) CHEESE WITH THAT WHINE? "Raffaello Follieri, the Italian businessman who dated actress Anne Hathaway, says his health has deteriorated because of 'unspeakably unsanitary' jail conditions and wants to be moved. … Since he was sentenced to 4-1/2 years in prison for fraud last month, he has had to contend with rotten food, foul odors and unclean toilets and as a result is running a fever and has blood in his urine, according to a letter from his lawyer made available on Wednesday."
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Jennifer Lopez deserves your respect. Here you were, thinking that she was just some middling pop star who's made a career out of having a big booty and being a mediocre triple threat, and then she turns it all around by showing her true face as one of the most devious con artists since that guy who dated Anne Hathaway.
How, you may ask, has J.Lo managed to swindle big bucks from networks like NBC and TLC?
POOR LITTLE RAFFAELLO GETS FOUR AND A HALF YEARS "Anne Hathaway's ex-boyfriend was sentenced to four and a half years behind bars Thursday for wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. Raffaello Follieri, 30, only wanted to serve three years, according to papers submitted by his lawyer in a Manhattan federal court earlier this month."
The always well-spoken and put-together Anne Hathaway stopped in to chat with David Letterman last night about her new movie, Rachel Getting Married, and — oh yeah — her con artist of an ex-boyfriend. Despite Dave's peppering tactics, Anne managed to make it through the interview with some humor and without sounding like too much of an ass. Sure, she gets a little sarcastic from time to time, but she actually speaks about the situation without the typical "no comment." Paris, are you taking notes?
It's official: Anne Hathaway's ex, Raffaello Follieri, was sentenced today to over four years in prison, starting Oct. 3, for wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. He's been in jail since June, unable to make his $21 million bail.
'I knew what I was doing was wrong,' he told U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl in Manhattan as he stood in a loose-fitting prison uniform. He has been in jail since his June 24 arrest, unable to make $21 million bail.
What, his BFF Donald Trump didn't help him make bail earlier this summer? Poor guy.
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The lovely Anne Hathaway graces the cover of the newest issue of W magazine, further cementing why we love her: She's like the best friend everyone's had at some point in their lives, and you can't help but want to just give her a hug. She declined to give details on the arrest of ex Raffaello Follieri, but she did speak about what she was going through at the time (while, the interviewer notes, fighting back tears):
It’s a situation where the rug was pulled out from under me all of a sudden. But just as suddenly, my friends threw another rug back under me. One said, ‘Go stay at my house.’ And Steve Carell [her Get Smart costar] stepped up for me during an interview when someone asked a question [about it]. He said, ‘At some point you’re going to have to talk about this time in your life. You don’t have to do it this week. I’ll take care of anything that comes your way.’
I’ve been shown such kindness. Not everyone gets that. A lot of people go through tough times alone.
For more photos from her W spread, click through.
Italian grifter Raffaello Follieri is reportedly close to reaching a plea deal in his federal criminal case. According to the Wall Street Journal, Follieri will plead guilty to fraud and money laundering, charges for which he could face four to five years in prison.
You'll recall that just two years ago, Follieri was living a life of milk and honey in WASPy yachts and luxury Manhattan apartments. He even got himself a famous girlfriend, actress Anne Hathaway, despite looking like a damn Disney-movie villain.
Graydon Carter has such a hard on right now, as Vanity Fair releases its most Vanity Fair-esque piece to date on the defrauded, jet-setting Raffaello Follieri. What makes the seven-page article so perfectly VF, with its mix of celebrity and scandal and a dash of eau de creep?
You know why employees shouldn’t keep blogs? Because inevitably their employers will find them, read them, and use them against their underlings. It’s the same reasoning why starlets shouldn’t keep diaries: Because federal officials might raid the home of your scandal-plagued ex-boyfriend, confiscate your journals, and then use your words to prosecute him for fraud. Such is the new saga for Anne Hathaway.
LET'S MAKE A DEAL "Accused con artist Raffaello Follieri could be getting ready to cut his losses and make a deal with prosecutors. … Assistant US Attorney Reed Brodsky has estimated Follieri would likely spend up to nine years behind bars if a jury convicts him of wire fraud and money laundering. A deal to plead guilty could land him a reduced sentencing range of five to six and a half years."
Donald Trump always likes a good feud, especially when the matter at hand has absolutely nothing to do with him. His latest victim is Anne Hathaway, who we imagine has enough to deal with at the moment. Evidently Donald is offended by Anne's lack of loyalty to con artist Raffaello Follieri (who spent the majority of his weasel-y time holed up in one of Trump's residential buildings), and he's telling everyone about it:
She hasn't remained very loyal to him, has she? So when he had plenty of money, she liked him, but then after that, not as good, right?
Well, you would know all about women only liking men for money, wouldn't you, Donald?
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• Guess who's back — and going to Hollywood. [DListed]
• New York City is aiming to have every resident in the Bronx tested for HIV. Good luck with that. [ABC]
• Someone needs to program the Posh robot to clean up after herself. [INO]
• According to Kimora Lee Simmons, being a fabulous mother demands $480,000 in child support. [ICYDK]
• Poor little Raffaello: Anne Hathaway's ex has to spend his birthday behind bars instead of jetting away to Italy. [Us]
GOOD TIMING "Anne Hathaway's ex-boyfriend Raffaello Follieri was hospitalized for a severe sinus infection following his New York court appearance on fraud and money laundering charges, his rep tells People."
It’s not that Anne Hathaway’s ex-boyfriend Raffaello Follieri is a con artist. It’s that he’s a bad con-artist. How to tell? He was arrested! That’s sort of the biggest criteria for finding out if a con artist is bad at his game. The second piece of criteria? Going to prison, which is where it sounds like he’s headed.
Raffaello Follieri, former boyfriend of Anne Hathaway and a scumbag who really looks the part, was arrested this morning in New York City on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering. Allegedly, Follieri lied to an investor about being the chief financial officer of the Vatican.
In April, Follieri was arrested for writing a $250,000 bad check, but the charge was ultimately dropped. These new charges probably won't stick either. Because rich pricks always employ lawyers who are smart pricks.
Though she has a new movie out called Get Smart, over the Atlantic, Anne Hathaway is still "the Devil Wears Prada star." But it's also over there that news is breaking that she's split from boyfriend-of-four-years Raffaello Follieri, whose ability to bounce a bad cheque has Ed McMahon jealous.
Anne Hathaway's boyfriend of four years, Raffaelo Follieri, was arrested in New York Thursday for bouncing a check worth $250,000.
It's reported Follieri, an Italian property developer, went willingly with police officers to work out the misunderstanding, so there were no handcuffs or loud sirens involved. That spared him of any humiliation until the gossip blogs could get wind of the story.
His lawyers were sorting out the situation and Follieri was released from custody later in the day.
Predictably, nobody cares and Anne still looks like Hollywood's goody two-shoes.
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Italy's Zach Braff (also Anne Hathaway's boyfriend), Raffaello Follieri, is now firmly in the sights of the Clinton hit squad after reportedly swindling off more than he could launder in a shady deal that included everyone's favorite scumbags: politicians, church officials and greedy, greedy dickheads.
…Mr. Follieri struck his deal with the investor. A Yucaipa partnership where Mr. Clinton served as a senior adviser formed a joint venture with the Follieri Group. Yucaipa agreed to invest as much as $100 million into the venture to buy church properties for redevelopment as mixed-income housing units, community centers and retirement facilities, among other things.
Mr. Follieri moved his business operation into leased office space on Park Avenue. He employed Filipino nuns as receptionists and installed a small altar in one room, according to people who visited the office. He began renting an "extremely costly" penthouse, complete with a staff that included an executive chef, the Yucaipa lawsuit says. Although it was supposed to be for the joint venture, Mr. Follieri moved his personal effects there and appeared to take up residence, the suit says.
To be exact, this "'extremely costly' penthouse" was being leased for a disgusting $40,000-a-month.
Unlike this messy maze itself, the end result is quite simple: "Mr. Follieri is now searching for new investors." Good luck with all that.
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