Anne Hathaway's Ex Not Adjusting to Prison Life
Raffaello Follieri's four year prison term is not off to a good start as his attorney claims poor prison conditions have caused him to become ill.
Things are not looking too good for Raffaello Follieri, former boyfriend of actress Anne Hathaway. Fox News reports the 30-year-old Italian financier is not adjusting to prison life after being sentenced to four and half years for committing fraud.
Back in October, U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl sentenced Follieri to this term because he believed Follieri committed significant fraud that hurt investors, and used his earnings for "lavish personal expenditures." Follieri reportedly bought clothes, flowers, wine, yacht rentals, and several vacations for himself, his family, and Hathaway. The couple dated for four years and split just before his arrest in June.
Follieri apologized for his actions, stating, "I just hope someday those who have been hurt by my actions can forgive me." He also confessed he started off with good intentions, but those somehow turned into terrible mistakes. It was the purchase of a Roman Catholic Church that got Follieri in trouble. He cheated investors out of millions of dollars by claiming he was the Vatican's chief financial officer in order to purchase the church at a discount. Assistant U.S. Attorney Reed Brodsky believes Follieri lied about more than his Vatican connections, claiming he also lied about his education, background, and wealth.
Flora Edwards, Follieri's defense attorney, did her best to reduce his sentence to only three years. She claimed his charitable contributions and his ill mother were reasons to lighten his sentence. Judge Koeltl, however, felt his actions were inexcusable and kept his sentence at four and half years. Follieri was also required to pay $2.4 million and donate 15 watches and other jewelry to help make restitution. Koeltl said more restitution would be required at a future date, and that Follieri will be deported after serving his prison term.
But apparently Follieri's prison sentence isn't as glamorous as his $37,000 a month condo. He was transferred to a Brooklyn jail on October 27 and has been running a fever for weeks. Edwards wrote to the New York Post, "Although I am not a doctor, I have seen him regularly and he feels warm to the touch and his eyes are glassy." She claims the prison grounds are unsanitary and the food is spoiled, causing Follieri to become ill. Edwards has currently sent a letter to the judge in hopes of improving Follieri's situation and allowing him to return to normal health.
