US woman who posed as Irish heiress will hear fate next month
Scammer now faces extradition to the North
A WOMAN accused by scam victims of crisscrossing the US claiming to be an Irish heiress is expected to learn next month whether she will be extradited to the North.
Marianne Smyth, a 54year-old American, will be in federal court in Maine for the hearing that relates to allegations she stole more than €160,000 from at least five victims from 2008 to 2010 in the North.
UK officials said Ms Smyth stole money that she had promised to invest and arranged to sell a victim a home but took the money.
US Magistrate Judge John Nivison yesterday said he would issue a ruling no sooner than May 1.
If he rules to extradite her, the case would go to the Secretary of State which determines whether it could go forward.
A court issued arrest warrants for her in 2021, according to legal documents. In February, she was located and arrested in Maine, where she is being held.
In a court filing, Ms Smyth’s attorney, Kaylee Folster, argued she is not guilty of the charges and requested a hearing on the allegations.
Ms Smyth’s case has similarities to Anna Sorokin, who was 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 Ms Smyth. She was found guilty of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from Mr Walton and spent about two years in jail.
Ms Smyth said she needed the money after her bank account was frozen and for bail after she was jailed, he said. Mr Walton assumed he would be repaid since Ms Smyth told him she was due an inheritance of $7million, supposedly 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,’ said Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Megee, who prosecuted the case that sent Ms Smyth to jail.
Ms Smyth and Mr 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, Mr Walton said.
Some have accused Ms Smyth 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 Ms Smyth scammed her out of $20,000 for psychic readings, life coach sessions and cult-like retreats that included rituals and breathing exercises. Ms Smyth was funny, smart and had documents to back up her claims, Ms Sladinski said.
‘Has no shame or conscience’