Vati-Con!!!!!

ANNE HATHAWAY’s ex-boyfriend has been charged with a dozen counts of federal wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering.

Italian businessman Raffaello Follieri, 29, appeared in a New York court on Tuesday (24Jun08) and was placed under home detention until he posts $21 million (£10.5 million) bail.

Follieri - who reportedly split from the Devil Wears Prada star earlier this month (Jun08) - is accused of tricking his business associates by claiming he was working as the chief financial officer for the Vatican, enabling him to purchase various U.S. properties owned by the Catholic church at a lower market rate.
Prosecutors argued that Follieri spent hundreds of thousands of dollars obtained from investors to live an extravagant lifestyle - a claim that Follieri refuted in court by shaking his head, reports People.com.

The court also heard that Follieri tested positive for opiates from a urine sample on Tuesday morning (24Jun08) before his hearing.
After hearing the prosecution’s arguments that he is a "con man" with a "high potential risk of flight", the judge set his bail at $21 million.

Follieri has now been put under house arrest and will be forced to wear an electronic monitoring device. He will only be allowed to leave his apartment for "legal, medical or religious reasons".
But his lawyer, Flora Edwards, is unhappy with the bail terms.
She says, "This is one of the stiffest bail packages I have ever seen. We are going to do everything we can to meet it. He’s under a tremendous amount of stress, but he is a very brave young man and he’s ready to go forward." A status hearing has been set for next month (09Jul08).

PR Inside