Looking at the few men in black suits blocking the way, Duke couldn't help but frown slightly, but those people ignored him and directly stopped Anne Hathaway.
The leader among them took out his ID and showed it to Anne Hathaway, then showed her something else, and said, "Miss Hathaway, we are agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We suspect that you are involved in a fraud case…"
Hearing this, Anne Hathaway was taken aback, her face full of disbelief. She seemed so shocked that she couldn't say anything for a moment.
The people around, including Duke, all heard what was just said and couldn't help but look over. Although Anne Hathaway wasn't a top Hollywood star, she was still a well-known actress…
Compared to everyone else's shock, Duke quickly regained his composure and signaled to the bodyguard following behind. The bodyguard immediately took out his phone to notify Anne Hathaway's agent.
As the director of the crew, and after years of toiling in Hollywood, Duke instinctively felt something was off. People like him never hesitated to look at North America's highly commercialized society with the worst perspective.
He stepped forward and asked, "Excuse me…"
Before Duke could finish his sentence, another man stopped him and directly said, "Sorry, Director Rosenberg. We have solid evidence that Miss Anne Hathaway is involved in a fraud case and need to take her back to assist in the investigation."
After speaking, the men escorted Anne Hathaway out of the hotel.
With a slight frown, Duke followed at a distance and then stood behind the hotel's glass wall, looking outside. The FBI agents had just walked Anne Hathaway out of the hotel. Nearby, camera flashes lit up it was clear the moment was captured by reporters or paparazzi.
The FBI didn't seem to intend on keeping the operation secret. They boldly led Anne Hathaway across the street to two black Chevrolet vehicles before driving away. During this time, several reporters stood less than ten feet away taking photos.
The crew was staying at the hotel, and they had just done a promotional event that afternoon. It wasn't surprising that reporters were nearby.
But Duke still felt something was off. Even if Anne Hathaway was involved in a case, the timing and location chosen by the FBI seemed too coincidental.
"You all go rest."
Duke turned around and said to Liam Neeson and the others, "Don't delay tomorrow's activities."
He then gestured for the bodyguard Charlie to come over, gave him a few instructions, and took out his phone to get in touch with Warner Bros. and Panny Kallis.
Whether it was a coincidence or not, the news of Anne Hathaway being taken away by the FBI would definitely create a negative impact.
Photos of the scene had already been taken by reporters it was only a matter of time before they spread.
Just as Duke expected, when he returned to his room and turned on his computer, many entertainment and portal websites were already reporting the news of Anne Hathaway being taken away by the FBI, with quite a few including pictures from the scene.
The most important thing now was to find out what actually happened. Although countless Hollywood films depict the FBI as fools, anyone with a bit of reason knows that the FBI always acts cautiously, especially when it involves public figures.
This isn't the '60s or '70s anymore.
Duke made call after call, and also received several. After about an hour and a half, he finally got the general picture of what had happened.
Another woman with no judgment!
That was all Duke could sigh, though he wasn't too surprised. There had always been actresses like Jessica Alba in Hollywood now Anne Hathaway was just another.
The only thing Duke hadn't expected was that the problem stemmed from Anne Hathaway's boyfriend, who by all appearances seemed to be someone of high status.
Raffaello Follieri, who claimed to be the Vatican's North American real estate business representative, was officially arrested by the FBI for fraud that afternoon. The case involved his foundation, and Anne Hathaway, who had just become a board member, inevitably got dragged into it.
That was just the gist Tina Fey was still investigating the full details. Back after 9/11, Duke had made some connections with high-ranking FBI and CIA officials. This type of case wasn't strictly confidential, and his old network was now proving useful.
By midnight, Tina Fey called again. The case was basically clear it was almost a repeat of the Jessica Alba situation.
The incident was triggered by a transaction. A $20,000+ bounced check from Raffaello Follieri led to a tip-off, and various pieces of evidence regarding illegal operations of his foundation were sent to the FBI. This launched a series of investigations, exposing him as a massive fraud.
Raffaello Follieri had falsely claimed to be the Vatican's representative in the U.S. and used the bait of acquiring unused church properties at below-market prices to scam investors amassing up to $6 million. In addition, leveraging Anne Hathaway's fame, he raised vast sums of money through so-called charity donations...
By the next morning, Jamie Johnson from Warner Bros. and their legal counsel, along with Duke's team Panny Kallis and attorney James as well as Anne Hathaway's publicist and agent, had all arrived in Chicago.
At the same time, news that Anne Hathaway was involved in a massive fraud case was already being blown up all over the media.
"Anne Hathaway, star of Batman:Begins, implicated in fraud, taken in by FBI for investigation in Chicago!"
That was one of the more polite reports. Online platforms and gossip media were far more extreme.
"What You Didn't Know About Anne Hathaway—Star of Batman:Begins and Her History of Fraud…"
"Duke Rosenberg Got It Wrong—His New Film Batman:Begins Stars a Disgraced Actress."
"Anne Hathaway A Fraudster Cast as the Female Lead in the A-List Hollywood Production Batman:Begins. What Dark Secrets Lie Behind This Decision?"
There were numerous such sensational headlines, and over seventy percent of them had one thing in common besides exposing Anne Hathaway's alleged crimes, they emphasized her role as the lead actress in the soon-to-be-released Batman:Begins!
If Duke still couldn't see that someone was deliberately targeting his movie, he'd have to be a fool.
In the meeting room of the presidential suite where he was staying, the relevant parties sat together to discuss how to handle this PR crisis.
If it had been at any other time, Duke wouldn't have cared even if Anne Hathaway was dragged into the sea and buried there. But this was different she was the female lead of his film. Her negative press was essentially targeting Batman:Begins. The worse her reputation got, the worse it would affect the film.
If she had been cast in another type of film, or even as a notorious villain, that might've been acceptable. But her character in the film symbolized justice and the law…
What would the audience think when they saw an actress accused of major fraud playing a righteous district attorney?
Besides, with the film about to release, even Duke couldn't cut her scenes and reshoot with someone else in just a few days. It was simply impossible in such a short timeframe.
"The best option is to distance Anne Hathaway from this case."
Panny Kallis, the most experienced PR expert present, leaned toward Duke and whispered a few words before continuing aloud, "And the sooner the better. Every day she stays in FBI custody, the negative press surrounding Batman:Begins will deepen."
Although this kind of fraud case wouldn't usually cause an uproar in North American society, one should never underestimate the so-called moral cleanliness of the mainstream.
"I agree with Panny," said Jamie Johnson, representing Warner Bros. as a whole. Warner definitely didn't want anything to happen to Batman. "Warner has already begun reaching out to the appropriate parties."
It was a frustrating mess. In Duke's impression, Anne Hathaway who had started as a Disney teen idol and successfully transitioned into one of Hollywood's four leading ladies must've been a smart and level-headed woman. He never imagined she could do something so foolish. Could it really be that women are easily blinded by love?
Why had Ivanka Trump remained clearheaded when dating him? If she had let her emotions get the better of her, the two of them wouldn't have ended up like this.
At that thought, Duke shook his head. If Ivanka had been foolish, they would never have gotten together in the first place.
He turned to Anne Hathaway's agent. "Brian, is Anne really involved in all this?"
The agent named Brian knew full well that the people in this room were Anne Hathaway's biggest lifeline. He pondered silently for several minutes before slowly shaking his head. "I can guarantee that Anne is one of the victims."
How much weight that guarantee held was hard to say. But for now, Duke and Warner had no choice but to get Anne Hathaway out. They couldn't allow her reputation to completely go down the drain, or else nobody could predict how badly Batman: Begins's box office would be affected.
"James…" Duke turned to James, the lawyer. "Find a way to get her out on bail."
"Brian, Panny, Jamie…" He looked at a few of the people familiar with PR matters. "Anne is a woman who was deceived by love, tricked and betrayed by her boyfriend. She should be seen as someone worthy of sympathy."
"I know exactly what to do." Panny Kallis nodded.
That was the best course of action. For a case like this, it was impossible to be completely cleared. The best route was to reframe Anne Hathaway as one of the victims.