Actress Anne Hathaway's boyfriend Raffaello Follieri will not be prosecuted for allegedly writing a bad cheque, after charges were dropped by the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

Italian businessman Follieri was expected to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday (12May08) following his arrest last month (Apr08) for allegedly writing a cheque for $215,000 (GBP107,500) to New Jersey businessman John Morrongiello.

Follieri initially claimed the charges were a result of a misunderstanding, but according to Manhattan D.A. spokesperson Tracy Golden, the sum was reimbursed by 29-year-old Follieri and Morrongiello has decided against pursuing the case.

This is not the first financial scandal for Follieri, who moved to the U.S. just four years ago. He agreed to pay $1.3 million (GBP650,000) to settle a lawsuit with billionaire Ron Burkle last month (25Apr08), after former investment partner Burkle accused him of squandering the sum to support himself. (JMA/WNWCPL/IG)

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