Current:Home > reviewsConvicted scammer who victims say claimed to be a psychic, Irish heiress faces extradition to UK -GrowthProspect
Convicted scammer who victims say claimed to be a psychic, Irish heiress faces extradition to UK
View
Date:2025-04-14 10:37:44
A woman accused by scam victims of crisscrossing the U.S. claiming to be an Irish heiress is expected in court Wednesday for a hearing that could extradite her to the United Kingdom.
Marianne Smyth, a 54-year-old American, will be in federal court in Maine for the hearing that relates to allegations she stole more than $170,000 from at least five victims from 2008 to 2010 in Northern Ireland. United Kingdom officials said Smyth stole money that she had promised to invest and arranged to sell a victim a home but took the money.
A court issued arrest warrants for her in 2021, according to legal documents. In February, she was located and arrested in Maine. She is being held in Piscataquis County Jail in Dover-Foxcroft.
In a court filing, Smyth’s attorney, Kaylee Folster, argued she is not guilty of the charges and requested a hearing on the allegations. Neither Folster nor Smyth would comment about the case.
Smyth’s case has similarities to Anna Sorokin, a grifter convicted in New York of paying for a lavish lifestyle by impersonating a wealthy German heiress.
Among those fleeced was Johnathan Walton, who started a podcast in 2021 called “Queen of the Con” to warn others about Smyth. She was found guilty of stealing tens of thousand of dollars from Walton and spent about two years in jail.
Smyth said she needed the money after her bank account was frozen and for bail after she was jailed, he said. Walton assumed he would be repaid, since Smyth told him she was due an inheritance of $7 million from her wealthy family in Ireland.
“She plays off of people’s weaknesses and then a lot of people are too embarrassed to come forward and admit that they lost this money,” Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Megee, who prosecuted the case that sent Smyth to jail, said.
Smyth and Walton grew close over several years in Los Angeles, when she bought him expensive dinners and luxury vacations, he said. But her story began to unravel when Walton realized she was jailed for stealing $200,000 from a luxury travel agency where she worked.
“She has no shame. And she has no conscience,” the 49-year-old reality television producer, author and public speaker said. “She revels in casting countless victims as unwitting actors in her elaborate schemes to defraud.”
The podcast has drawn tips from dozens of victims from California to New York, Walton said. Some have accused her of starting a fake charity for Ukraine, while others say she has described herself as an emissary for Satan, a witch, a hockey coach, a cancer patient and best friends with Jennifer Aniston. She often changed her name and appearance, her victims say.
Heather Sladinski, a costume designer in Los Angeles, said Smyth scammed her out of $20,000 for psychic readings, fake life coach sessions and cult-like retreats that included rituals, breathing exercises and yoga. Smyth was funny, smart and had credentials and other documents to back up her claims, Sladinski said.
The 50-year-old from Los Angeles cut off contact with Smyth after she wanted to do a bizarre ritual involving a chicken to win back her ex-boyfriend, who had a restraining order against her, Sladinski said. Smyth then started making threatening phone calls and Sladinski “was so scared” that she moved homes, Sladinski said. She has filed a police report against Smyth and testified at Walton’s trial.
veryGood! (76)
Related
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Angel Reese back in action: How to watch Chicago Sky at Washington Mystics on Thursday
- General Mills turned blind eye to decades of racism at Georgia plant, Black workers allege
- U.S counterterrorism chief Christy Abizaid to step down after 3 years on the job
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- D-Day paratroopers honored by thousands, including CBS News' Charlie D'Agata, reenacting a leap into Normandy
- Deceased Rep. Donald Payne Jr. wins New Jersey primary
- A look back at D-Day: Why the World War II invasion remains important on its 80th anniversary
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Ishana Night Shyamalan talks debut 'The Watchers,' her iconic dad and his 'cheeky cameos'
Ranking
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Ex-Wisconsin warden, 8 others charged after investigation into inmate deaths
- Man charged with killing Indiana police officer dies in prison while awaiting trial
- 8 dead, dozens hospitalized after drinking bootleg alcohol in Morocco
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Woman charged with shooting two people believed to be her parents, killing one, authorities say
- Who has the edge in Stanley Cup Final: Florida Panthers or Edmonton Oilers?
- Texas Droughts Are Getting Much More Expensive
Recommendation
Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
Records expunged for St. Louis couple who waved guns at protesters. They want their guns back
Pregnant Model Iskra Lawrence Claps Back at Body-Shamers
NCAA baseball super regionals teams ranked as 16 teams fight for College World Series
Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
Biden lauds WWII veterans on D-Day 80th anniversary, vows NATO solidarity in face of new threat to democracy
Black Music Month has evolved since the 1970s. Here’s what you need to know
Over 1.2 million rechargeable lights are under recall for fire hazards, following one reported death