Anne Hathaway dumped him. The feds busted him. Now accused con artist Raffaello Follieri could be getting ready to cut his losses and make a deal with prosecutors.
“Follieri is in plea discussions,” Assistant US attorney Jennifer Burns said late Wednesday as she updated a federal magistrate judge on a series of pending cases during a routine court appearance.
With bail set at $21 million, Follieri has been behind bars since his arrest on June 24. He allegedly swindled investors out of millions by convincing them his Vatican ties gave him first dibs on flipping Catholic Church properties.
Follieri’s lawyer, Flora Edwards, expressed surprise upon learning the prosecutor had mentioned plea talks.
“I’m certainly not saying that, and I’m not sure it’s appropriate,” Edwards said, adding that the only thing she’d agreed to was an extension of time for Follieri’s next appearance in Manhattan federal court.
“As far as I’m concerned, we’re looking forward to our day in court,” Edwards said.
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 6½ years.
The dashing Italian stands accused of stealing up to $6 million from his investment firm and spending it on a lavish lifestyle – blowing large sums on apartments, vacations, clothes and gifts for his longtime girlfriend, “Get Smart” star Hathaway.
To bolster his image for investors, Follieri also allegedly hired a nephew of the Vatican’s ex-secretary of state and paid Catholic monsignors to dress in clerical garb of a higher rank to con people into believing he had ties to top church leaders.
Prosecutors persuaded a judge to set the high bail, arguing that he was a flight risk and likely had money stashed in bank accounts overseas.
When the FBI turned up at his Olympic Towers apartment on Fifth Avenue, agents found $15,000 in cash and his passport in a briefcase.
In the few weeks since his arrest, Follieri already has had to scrap plans to celebrate his 30th birthday on the Isle of Capri and crossed the milestone in a prison cell instead.