PITTSBURGH -- He’s best known as the ex-boyfriend of actress Anne Hathaway, but Raffaello Follieri will now be known as the man who used the Vatican’s name in an alleged scheme.

Follieri is heading to prison and the Italian businessman also has ties to Pittsburgh.

Follieri posed as a Vatican insider, and used those fake connections to convince investors to give him millions of dollars to buy property from the Catholic Church.

It turns out two of those properties are located in western Pennsylvania.

Follieri lived the high life - a glamorous girlfriend and a 6,000-square-foot penthouse apartment with great views of the Manhattan skyline.

He showered Hathaway with gifts from designer stores and flew her overseas on private jets.

But prosecutors claim he financed his lavish lifestyle with money that was supposed to be used to redevelop old churches, including Saint Stephen in McKeesport and Saint Clement in Tarentum.

Follieri's company bought those churches from the Pittsburgh diocese last year.

He also agreed to buy Saint Canice in Knoxville and historic Saint Nicholas on the North Side, but never closed on those deals.

Follieri got most of his money from billionaire Pittsburgh Penguins owner Ron Burkle.

In a lawsuit settled last year, Burkle's company accused Follieri of misspending more than $1 million.

On Wednesday, Follieri admitted in court that he misappropriated at least $2.4 million of investors’ money.

He told the judge he knew what he did was wrong.

Meanwhile, the old churches in McKeesport and Tarentum continue to crumble while their future remains unclear.

A McKeesport businessman interested in buying Saint Stephen told Team 4’s Paul Van Osdol that all the legal wrangling has kept him from completing a deal.

Follieri could spend up to five years in prison.

He will be sentenced in October.