Vati-Con Scandal
Encyclopedia
Vati-Con is the nickname given to a scandal involving Italian real estate developer Raffaello Follieri, who is accused of misappropriating a $50 million investment from billionaire Ronald Burkle
meant to buy up Roman Catholic churches in the United States
.
On July 15, 2008, Bishop Joseph Anthony Galante of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey
, was implicated in the scandal by a New York Post
article titled "A Deal with the Devil" that revealed that Follieri had bought Galante's beach house for $400,000 in 2007 shortly after Galante began the study that resulted in his 2008 announcement to sell off half of the Diocese's church properties. Following disclosure of the bishop's involvement in Vati-Con, the Council of Parishes of Southern New Jersey demanded "a complete halt to the Bishop’s planned church closure program". The Galante/Follieri beach house was put back on the market in 2008 and sold almost two years later for $310,000.
On July 24, the New York Daily News reported that in a second raid of Follieri's apartment in New York City, the FBI
had confiscated the private journals of Follieri's former girlfriend, actress Anne Hathaway
, as part of their ongoing investigation into the scandal. Hathaway did not face charges related to the scandal.
In October, 2008, Follieri pleaded guilty to charges, and Manhattan
Federal Judge
John Koeltl
imposed a 4½ year prison sentence. He is currently serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution
in Loretto, Pennsylvania
and is scheduled to be released on May 25, 2012.
Ronald Burkle
Ronald Wayne Burkle is an American business magnate and investor. A major political fundraiser, he is listed on the Forbes 400, with an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion in 2011.-Life and career:...
meant to buy up Roman Catholic churches in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
On July 15, 2008, Bishop Joseph Anthony Galante of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, was implicated in the scandal by a New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
article titled "A Deal with the Devil" that revealed that Follieri had bought Galante's beach house for $400,000 in 2007 shortly after Galante began the study that resulted in his 2008 announcement to sell off half of the Diocese's church properties. Following disclosure of the bishop's involvement in Vati-Con, the Council of Parishes of Southern New Jersey demanded "a complete halt to the Bishop’s planned church closure program". The Galante/Follieri beach house was put back on the market in 2008 and sold almost two years later for $310,000.
On July 24, the New York Daily News reported that in a second raid of Follieri's apartment in New York City, the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
had confiscated the private journals of Follieri's former girlfriend, actress Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway (actress)
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She played Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries...
, as part of their ongoing investigation into the scandal. Hathaway did not face charges related to the scandal.
In October, 2008, Follieri pleaded guilty to charges, and Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
Federal Judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
John Koeltl
John G. Koeltl
John George Koeltl is a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.-Education:Koeltl graduated from Regis High School in New York City in 1963...
imposed a 4½ year prison sentence. He is currently serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution
Federal Correctional Institution, Loretto
Federal Correctional Institution, Loretto is a U.S. federal prison near Loretto, Pennsylvania. It is a low-security facility housing male inmates. An adjacent satellite prison camp houses minimum-security male offenders....
in Loretto, Pennsylvania
Loretto, Pennsylvania
Loretto is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is officially part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area as recognized by the US Census Bureau, but local sources list it as part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania area due to its proximity to...
and is scheduled to be released on May 25, 2012.