Podcast Summary: “Chameleon: The Weekly” - Raffaello Follieri (The Deck, audiochuck x Campside Media)

Episode Aired: November 13, 2025
Host: Josh Dean
Featuring: Christine Hani (now Christine Dare Bryan), Rebecca Pcori
Theme: The Rise, Fall, and Reinventions of Raffaello Follieri, Master Con Artist

Overview

This episode introduces listeners to the new show, "Chameleon: The Weekly," hosted by journalist Josh Dean in partnership with Campside Media and audiochuck. The series delves into stories of imposters and con artists. In this inaugural episode, the spotlight is on Raffaello Follieri—a charming Italian who seduced Hollywood elite, fooled investors and politicians, and conned his way through the worlds of real estate, high society, and, most recently, rare earth mining.

The story unfolds through interviews, journalistic investigation, and first-hand accounts from those who crossed paths with Follieri, including Wall Street Journal reporter Christine Hani and Italian TV journalist Rebecca Pcori.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Follieri and Anne Hathaway: The Glamorous Beginning

• [03:50] The episode opens with the public breakup of movie star Anne Hathaway and her boyfriend, Follieri. Their high-profile romance drew tabloids and attention.
• Personal Fallout: Hathaway’s emotional responses—her handling of questions on Letterman, an SNL joke:
  • “I broke up with my Italian boyfriend and two weeks later he was sent to prison for fraud. I mean, we’ve all been there. Am I right, ladies?” — Anne Hathaway on SNL ([07:18])
• Public Arrest: Follieri was arrested in 2008 at his Trump Tower apartment.

2. How Did Follieri Pull It Off?

• [09:33-14:00] WSJ reporter Christine Hani recounts her early suspicions after being introduced to Follieri as a “hotshot” real estate developer.
  • Follieri claimed connections to the Vatican (Secretary of State Angelo Sodano's nephew as adviser).
  • He started the “Follieri Group” to buy US Catholic Church properties, exploiting the Church's need to liquidate assets after abuse scandals.
  • Attracted high-profile investors, particularly through connections with celebrities and politicians (Harvey Weinstein, Ron Burkle, Bill Clinton).
• Christine’s Gut Feeling:
  • “He presented himself very well... but there just felt something very off.” — Christine Hani ([11:39])
  • Follieri was evasive about specifics, giving basic answers to basic questions.

3. Red Flags & The Collapse

• [14:00-16:22] Examines Follieri’s Ponzi-like financial behavior:
  • Lavish Lifestyle: Loans intended for real estate transactions fueled apartments, jewelry, and “beautiful actresses.”
  • Legal Reckoning: In 2008, Follieri is arrested and quickly pleads guilty to 14 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy.
  • Media Reaction: Even after his downfall, some admirers (especially women) stood by him.
  • “He pleaded so quickly there was no trial... He was like, I did it, like it was a reporter’s dream.” — Christine Hani ([17:39])
• [18:08] Sentenced to prison, $1.4M fine, then deported back to Italy.

4. Follieri, the Chameleon: Reinventing Himself in Italy

• [20:07-23:44] Host Josh Dean explores Follieri's early ambitions in Italy:
  • Raised in Foggia—a small, Catholic, agricultural town. Early business ventures failed (Beauty Planet).
  • Follieri sold "himself"—charm, style, connections, sometimes more image than substance.
  • “He never drank alcohol, but always offered others the best champagnes and the best wines. He gave this kind of holy impression of a really well-mannered person.” — Rebecca Pcori ([22:53])
• Obsession with Social Status: Leveraged football (soccer) for networking with power brokers.

5. Post-Prison Schemes: Soccer and Rare Earths

• [24:20-27:04]
  • Tried (unsuccessfully) to buy major soccer clubs (Palermo, Foggia, AS Roma)—often making grandiose (and possibly fictitious) offers, falsely citing previous connections.
  • Skillful use of the media and image construction; rebuffed by former investor Ron Burkle (“Follieri is just making this stuff up.”).
• [27:55-29:34]
  • Now claims to control 8% of the world’s rare earth metals market—questionable, with much skepticism from Italian journalists. Social media awash in flashy posts, “PR puff pieces,” and boasts.

6. Why Does Follieri Keep Succeeding?

• [29:34-32:43]
  • Persistent reinvention, leveraging his image—never substance.
  • “I think it's part of creating this image of someone who can be the great manager that leads you to make a huge amount of money in an easy way... investing once in rare earth, once on oil, once on real estate. I think it's part of a strategy on pretending to be someone that I think he has never been.” — Rebecca Pcori ([29:34])
  • Christine Hani reflects on how the real estate industry (unlike Wall Street) is especially permissive and ripe for fraud:
    • “There’s no regulation...All you need is money. Capital is everything.” ([33:53-33:55])
    • “It is the greatest entry point for upward mobility in America. And it’s also a great entry point for criminals because it’s just perceived to be, like, easy money.” ([33:55])

7. Con Artists: American Archetype

• [31:41, 35:55]
  • Christine makes connections between con artists, rugged American mythos, and our fascination with reinvention.
  • “They keep, like, locusts, you know, scarlet fever. Nothing stops them. They're kind of like Raffaello Follieri. They just keep getting up and getting on that wagon and, like, driving further west.” — Christine Hani ([32:19])
  • “There was this interesting magical thinking and optimism that comes with these con artists that is kind of fascinating to watch...They don’t sit home and cry. They just, like, get up and put on another Brioni suit and think up another idea that might get them in a whole world of trouble.” ([35:55])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Public Humiliation & Humor:

  • [07:18] Anne Hathaway on SNL: “I broke up with my Italian boyfriend and two weeks later he was sent to prison for fraud. I mean, we've all been there. Am I right, ladies?”

• On Real Estate Scams:

  • [33:55] Christine Dare Bryan: “You show up with a bag full of cash and you win. It’s not based on, like, where you went to college...It is the greatest entry point for upward mobility in America. And it’s also a great entry point for criminals because it’s just perceived to be, like, easy money.”

• On Conman Resilience:

  • [31:41] Josh Dean: “The ability to change colors, to fall and rise. Isn't that the definition of a chameleon.”

• On Follieri's Persistence:

  • [29:34] Rebecca Pcori: “Given that, I don't think it will change. I hope so. I mean, as far as I know, he has always done the same thing, using different names and different places and different fields and different companies. But the aim is the same.”

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:50 — Anne Hathaway’s public breakup, Letterman and SNL commentary.
• 09:33-12:49 — Christine Hani recalls meeting Follieri and early suspicions.
• 14:00-16:22 — Follieri’s financial house of cards and collapse.
• 17:33-18:20 — Legal consequences: charges, plea, prison, deportation.
• 20:07-23:44 — Follieri’s early years in Italy and first reinventions.
• 24:20-27:47 — Soccer club schemes and media manipulation.
• 27:55-29:34 — Claims of global mining dominance, image management via social media.
• 29:34-32:43 — The psychology, methods, and American archetype of the con artist.
• 33:53-33:55 — Real estate as a fraudster’s playground.
• 35:55 — On the enduring “magical thinking” of people like Follieri.

Tone & Style

The episode blends investigative journalism with a lively, conversational tone. Josh Dean’s narration is both skeptical and fascinated, probing not just the facts of Follieri’s schemes but the psychology of con artistry itself. Guests Christine Dare Bryan and Rebecca Pcori provide both hard-nosed skepticism and an amused, almost anthropological curiosity about why people like Follieri keep rising anew, no matter how many times they fall.

Conclusion

This episode paints a vivid portrait of a serial deceiver—his tactics, his allure, and why our societies, from Wall Street to Hollywood to Rome, remain so vulnerable to the likes of Raffaello Follieri. Despite legal and personal ruin, Follieri continues reinventing, proving that for some, the game is never truly over—at least until the next con.

For more episodes, find Chameleon: The Weekly where you get your podcasts.