PENNSYLVANIA: An Italian ex-boyfriend of actress Anne Hathaway is about to be released from a US federal prison following a real-estate scam.  

Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Chris Burke says Raffaello Follieri is scheduled to be released Friday from a prison in Pennsylvania.

Follieri pleaded guilty to cheating investors by falsely claiming he had Vatican connections that enabled him to buy church property at a discount. He was sentenced in 2008 to 4 1/2 years in prison.

Follieri agrees he owes more than $3.6 million to those he ripped off. The proceeds supported a playboy lifestyle that included a $37,000-a-month New York City apartment and lavish vacations with the star of ''The Princess Diaries,'' who dated him for four years.