DOCUMENT: Celebrity, Crime

Jail Vexes Hathaway Ex

Swindler Follieri wants out of 'unspeakably unsanitary' Brooklyn cell

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Jail Vexes Hathaway Ex

NOVEMBER 12--Conditions at a Brooklyn federal jail are not agreeing with Raffaello Follieri, the con man who once shared a Trump Tower duplex with actress Anne Hathaway, his former girlfriend.

In a November 10 letter, a copy of which you'll find here, Follieri's lawyer asks Judge John Koeltl to order Follieri's transfer back to the Manhattan lockup where he was jailed following his June arrest. Since Follieri's October 27 transfer to Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), Flora Edwards claims her client's health has 'deteriorated significantly' due to the 'unspeakably harsh conditions at the MDC.'

Edwards cites overcrowding, 'unspeakably unsanitary' toilet and shower facilities, and an 'intolerable' stench. Rats, Edwards added, are 'roaming freely' and there is 'excrement in the shower.' As a result, Follieri, 30, has supposedly been left 'debilitated,' with blood in his urine, glassy eyes, and intestinal problems. On Monday, Koeltl asked federal officials to provide a report on Follieri's medical condition and his care at the MDC 'as soon as possible.'

In October, Follieri was sentenced to 54 months in prison for conspiracy, fraud, and money laundering. (2 pages)