Raffaello Follieri. Photo by AP.
Raffaello Follieri's lawyer wrote to a New York judge this week saying his client can't take the "unspeakably harsh" conditions at the federal jail in Brooklyn.
Follieri says the place has no windows and smells terrible. The food is lousy. Rats run free and the showers are filthy.
His lawyer wants him transferred to a different jail.
Follieri was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in October. He pleaded guilty to cheating investors out of millions of dollars by claiming he had Vatican connections and could buy church property cheap.
The proceeds supported a lifestyle that included a $US37,000 ($NZ67,192) a month Manhattan apartment.
