Marianne Smyth, the woman accused of scamming multiple victims in the United States out tens of thousands of dollars, has been extradited to the United Kingdom, according to a U.S. official.
Ms. Smyth allegedly stole close to $200,000 from her victims, which included reality TV producer Johnathan Walton, whom she befriended in Los Angeles in the early 2010s.
She now faces charges of theft and fraud by abuse of position after allegedly scamming victims while working as an independent mortgage adviser in Northern Ireland from 2008 to 2010. Victims say she claimed to be a witch, a psychic, and a friend to Hollywood stars.
A U.S. federal court ruled in May that there was sufficient evidence to certify Ms. Smyth’s extradition to the UK to face charges. She had remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until the decision was reached.
The extradition was confirmed by the U.S. Department of Justice. According to overseas authorities, Ms. Smyth pocketed money from her clients after she promised to invest the money, with the sums ranging from around $25,000 to more than $90,000. She allegedly also promised one victim that she would buy a home, but absconded with the money instead.
Ms. Smyth was arrested in Bingham, Maine in February this year where she stood trial after a Northern Ireland court had issued warrants for her arrest several years prior.
After being scammed, Mr. Walton subsequently started a podcast titled “Queen of the Con,” in which he exposed Ms. Smyth for her alleged criminal activities. Ms. Smyth spent around two years in jail after stealing tens of thousands of dollars from Mr. Walton.
Mr. Walton, a producer for TV shows including “American Ninja Warrior” and “Shark Tank,” became suspicious of Ms. Smyth after learning that she had previously been jailed for stealing around $200,000 from a travel agency she worked for. He believed he was giving her a loan because she had convinced him that she was due an inheritance worth millions of dollars from her wealthy Irish family.
Ms. Smyth’s alleged criminal actions have been compared to those of Anna Sorokin, a German citizen who was convicted of fraud in 2019 for impersonating a German heiress in order to fund her glamorous lifestyle in New York City. She defrauded a number of victims of as much as $275,000, including several wealthy New Yorkers as well as banks and hotels.
NTD has contacted both Ms. Smyth’s attorneys and the U.S. Justice Department for further information, but did not receive a reply before this article was published.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
