Anne Hathway paid ex-boyfriend’s $37,000 rent

By Alexandra Heilbron on September 4, 2008 | 17 Comments


Anne Hathaway and Raffaello FollieriAccording to a new Vanity Fair article, Anne Hathaway paid her ex-boyfriend Raffaello Follieri’s $37,000 monthly rent for four months until his lease ran out. (That’s close to $150,000. Must be nice to have that kind of money to spare.) The pair met in spring 2004, but shortly after it was reported by the media that he was involved in illegal activities, she broke up with him over the phone.  By then, he was staying at his parents’ place at Trump Tower. Just hours after the tearful breakup, Follieri was arrested by the FBI on charges of money laundering and wire fraud. According to the feds, he conned a group of multimillionaire investors to buy properties that the Catholic Church was supposedly looking to sell. Hathaway should’ve paid more attention to her dad’s instincts. Back in 2005, Jerry Hathaway grew suspicious of Follieri and hired a private eye to investigate the alleged con man. Hey, if your daughter’s paying her “rich” boyfriend’s ridiculously high rent, who wouldn’t want her to get rid of the bum?



Comments & Discussion

  1. Nancy • September 4, 2008 @ 11:01 AM

    “he was staying at his parents place at Trump Tower”

    Jee….maybe his parents should have paid his rent. I mean, Trump Tower is no ‘slum’!!

  2. Whoah • September 4, 2008 @ 3:13 PM

    $37,000 mothly rent? That’s more than I make in a year!

  3. Daphne • September 5, 2008 @ 1:12 PM

    What is wrong with these women – they play fabulous parts in the movies. Yet they end up with idiots from hell. Wake up – check them out.

  4. E.H.Smith • September 5, 2008 @ 2:10 PM

    That is more then I make in about 2 years, well in two years my income is a more then that but not a whole lot, but then I pay a lot less rent and don’t have or need an extensive wardrobe.
    My opinion of the matter is whoes business is it if she pays his rent, if she has the money and wants to spend it that way then that is her business.

  5. Jo-Anne. • September 5, 2008 @ 3:45 PM

    yeah, it’s her business all right, some of us just happen to think she’s a fool for doing so.

  6. Anonymous • September 6, 2008 @ 8:23 AM

    How dumb can she be.

  7. Nancy • September 6, 2008 @ 9:15 PM

    Well, this just goes to show how nice of a person she is. He didn’t do anything to her and didn’t steal her money. She loved the guy and he loved her. He broke the law and now she feels sorry for him and doesn’t want to just leave him high and dry. She can afford it, this is just a small drop in the bucket it’s not like she is giving him the shirt off her back. You don’t just stop loving someone at the snap of your fingers…especially when they have done nothing to you. Not that I would have done what she has but, some of you call her a fool and dumb…I think she is just a nice, caring person.

  8. Jeff • September 7, 2008 @ 2:19 AM

    There is something dysfunctional in her history and character that would make her be a willing subject to and accept this kind of demeaning abuse by a (con)man. I hope she seeks meaningful therapy to get her problem(s) resolved and totally behind her – unfortunately, the poor judgment she demonstrated and psychological trauma this (and other damage we have no idea about) caused internally could severely interfere with her life again. It must be tearing up the family that her father wasn’t able to convince such an obviously talented and educated young woman that she was so wrong for so long?

  9. Nancy • September 7, 2008 @ 3:04 AM

    Do you even know what you are talking about Jeff?

    She was dating a guy who went to work everyday and screwed his business partner and investors out of a couple hundred thousand. Then he would come home like any other man would. So her dad had suspicions of the guy….most dads are very protective of their little girl! He hired a private detective…the article doesn’t state whether the detective found out anything…then again, maybe the detective and her dad are the ones who got him busted. Either way, as far as the media has reported, she knew nothing of what he was doing and thought he was just a normal person going to work everyday….so how the hell is she “dysfunctional and the willing subject of demeaning abuse”? Psychological trauma? WTF? People make wrong choices in their lives all the time and sometimes other people deceive…doesn’t mean they need seious psychological help and that there is something dysfunctional in their past.

    (Nancy shakes her head!!!)

  10. Jo-Anne • September 7, 2008 @ 7:41 AM

    wow Nancy, still making more friends????
    very good comments Jeff. and written with style.

  11. Jeff • September 7, 2008 @ 11:36 AM

    Nancy: You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, as am I. However, it is unfortunate (and maybe just a little telling about you) that you insert a ridiculous \then he would come home like any other man would\. So you surmise from \media reporting\, your vast world experiences, and expert psyscological knowledge that all or most men should be and are capable of such subterfuge and disgusting criminal activities, not just against innocent business-type victims, but their lovers and partners too? And you really think that this low-life criminal jerk was such an incredibly gifted genius, that he was so perfect in covering every falsehood and mis-step in his tracks while living with someone, that Hathaway was just another innocent doe-eyed victim of love…and being taken (you seem to have ascertained incorrectly that she wasn’t a financial victim too) for a couple of years, without her eyes open. I would not hesitate to make an opinion that there’s indication of serious emotional/personal issues such as low self esteem and other problems, and it doesn’t fall in the realm of a teeny weeny everyday mistake that we all make everyday. Think about just the deep mistrusting effect for a long time. I don’t know what you see here but you need to give YOUR head a shake. Keep your WTFs to yourself, and then try educating yourself about the burdens of psychological trauma (…and not doing more harm than good with your uninformed misinformation and opinions you’re grinding in your head). BTW, I do know what I’m talking about – spending years in my field assisting victims – and the first bold step is to seek help, not be in denial.

  12. Nancy • September 7, 2008 @ 4:12 PM

    WTF Jeff……sounds like you are trying to preserve your job!! Actually, you kinda sound like the majority of physicians nowadays…every little ache and pain needs to be prescribed a pill. You are entitled to your opinion yes, but I believe you are making a mountain out of a mole hill. It is people like yourself who place a very large burden of monetary stress on our government by asking for more and more money to help “fix” people who actually don’t need fixing but you have convinced them and others that they do. Money that could be better spent on other things such as but not limited to, people with “real” trauma and mental and physical disabilities. Sure, some people do need help for things that happen to them but, Anne has told the public that she knew nothing of what he was doing. If she thinks she will need emotional help, then she will seek it…she doesn’t need you to tell her! It is her money and if she wants to pay his rent she can…doesn’t mean she needs psychological help. Now, I never said that all or most men “should be and are capable” of such criminal activities! What I said was that “he came home like any other man would” not that he screwed his business partner and investors like any other man would…jeeze, you sure like to twist peoples words don’t you? I never said she walked around with her eyes closed but, she was in love with him and trusted him, so why would she be watching for criminal behaviour???? Not to mention, in her profession, she probably spends several months a year away from home and on a movie set. Maybe you can convince others that help is needed but, you can’t convince me! STOP making something out of nothing!! Save your “wise psychology” for those who REALLY need it!! Jo-Anne seems to be in need…

  13. Jeff • September 7, 2008 @ 6:38 PM

    Now, dear Nancy…
    perhaps some therapy or a diversion would be very wise for you – as soon as possible (…ever heard of M.D.’s that perform a scientifically-proven therapy without pills – it’s called “talk therapy” in laypersons’ terms, and you should be qualified under your provincial health plan). You have an obvious ignorance and exaggerated fear of: a) professional and educated people and b) higher analytics and science-based facts, for which you unfortunately have no detailed understanding other than what you read in tabloids. Beyond that, your use of overly aggressive and intimidating posturing is better suited to a back alley, instead of civily debating other people in a rational and calm manner when expressing yourself.
    There is no calamity here for your inappropriate inordinate fixation on this subject. And, as if this needs to be pointed out to you, I am not “telling Anne anything” here – but I do feel a responsibility to any number of impressionable young people who may have read this item to help them realize they have the right to lean on our socialized medical system – even though no physical trauma is presented, their mental health may have been squashed by demonizing cads (even though they don’t have the resources of an Anne Hathaway). You need to be exposed as an unqualified fraud to advise even one person to not seek assistance from professionals when they are in need. No therapist treats over a patient’s lifetime – one’s inability to cope and the ensuing reactions and physical side effects can last that long if not treated, and that is of great concern as it manifests itself as a larger burden on our society’s health system. Your toxic antagonism and weighty view of yourself is a turn-off and you’re definitely stretching your vaulted degree in People Magazine way beyond what was intended in this non-clinical space. Now go do something useful like volunteer, under close supervision, in an animal shelter… it’s time to give the floor to someone else to hear another opinion on this very real and sober subject.

  14. tributegirl • September 7, 2008 @ 9:17 PM

    It doesn’t sound to me like she has any serious mental health issues, it just seems to me like Anne is one of those chicks who always seems to go for the wrong kind of guys. And it seems to me like she has very poor instincts, but then again, yes she does spend a lot of time away from home. I also think it was very stupid of her to pay his rent, but as was pointed out earlier, she probably couldn’t just turn her love off like a light switch, he probably gave her some sob story and she fell for it. I, personally, don’t think she needs any therapy, I think she just needs to rearrange her priorities and increase her standards. But that’s just my opinion and I realize I may be wrong, don’t shoot me for it.

  15. Jo-Anne • September 8, 2008 @ 2:06 PM

    Jeff, trust me, you are wasting your breath here. Your many good points are falling on deaf ears. Now, just sit back, relax and wait for your name being referred to, yes Jeff, even in months to come, even when you don’t comment on a story, and of course, mentioned in a derogatory, yes taunting fashion (it’s already started) on many of these stories.

    The fact that you are in a medical profession will only add fuel to the fire, albeit again in an immature, uninformed manner. Once mentioned I work with the police, yes, wait for it….all the “donut jokes” surfaced. Big surprise there.

    You are dealing with a Huge Chip on the Shoulder and all your obvious professionalism won’t budge this bitter agressive chip one bit.

  16. Jo-Anne. • September 8, 2008 @ 6:48 PM

    I rest my case, Jeff

  17. AN • September 8, 2008 @ 11:24 PM

    Anne’s Trauma is such Drama. I’m sure she’ll bounce back. She made a bad choice, that happens in real life too, and people still have to go on and cope with whatever life throws at them. I doubt it will be the end of the world for her.


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