Religion Roundup
Priest Says He Was Victim of Scam
Associated Press
September 24, 2008
NEW YORK - A New Jersey priest says he fell for a scam by actress Anne Hathaway's ex-boyfriend.
Monsignor William Hodge has come forward as a victim in a letter to federal probation officials.
He told them that Raffaello Follieri duped him out of $110,000 left to him by his parents. He says the Italian businessman claimed he needed the money to pay nuns.
Follieri is to be sentenced October 3rd and could get up to 65 years in federal prison. He pleaded guilty this month to wire fraud and money laundering.
Prosecutors say he duped investors, telling them he wanted to buy unneeded property from Catholic churches, but then used the money to travel the world with Hathaway, the star of such films as "The Devil Wears Prada."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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