A convicted con artist who pretended to be an Irish heiress and is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from several victims should be extradited to the United Kingdom, a federal court has ruled.
Marianne Smyth, who accusers say also fashioned herself as a witch, medium and friend to Hollywood stars, is in a Maine prison awaiting word on whether she will be extradited.
She faces allegations that she stole more than $170,000 from victims between 2008 and 2010 in Northern Ireland.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John Nivison ruled Thursday that there was enough evidence to certify Smyth’s extradition to the United Kingdom so he could face charges.
Nivison wrote that Smyth would be detained by the U.S. Marshals Service pending an extradition decision from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
An attorney for Smyth, who has declined to comment in the past, did not respond to phone calls and emails Thursday.
The judge’s ruling that Smyth should be extradited could help end a bizarre saga in which victims have portrayed Smyth as a master of disguise and veteran roving con artist.
Smyth faces four counts of fraud by abuse of position under the UK Fraud Act 2006, and four counts of theft in contravention of the Northern Ireland Theft Act 1969, Nivison wrote.
Foreign authorities said Smyth stole money she had promised to invest and arranged to sell a house to a victim, but took the money.
A Northern Ireland court issued warrants for her arrest earlier this decade.
“The evidence presented regarding Ms. Smyth’s interactions with and transactions involving the individuals…is sufficient to support the four fraud charges and the four theft charges that are the subject of the extradition request,” wrote Nivison.
Smyth’s case is similar in some ways to that of Anna Sorokin, a con artist who was convicted of paying for her lifestyle by posing as a German heiress.
Smyth’s victims included Johnathan Walton, a podcaster who warned others about Smyth’s scams.
Smyth was convicted of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from Walton and spent about two years in prison.
The two had grown closer in Los Angeles and Smyth told Walton she was set to inherit $7 million from her wealthy Irish family, but Smyth’s story began to unravel when Walton learned she had been imprisoned for stealing $200,000 from a travel agency she worked for. .
Walton used his podcast to gather advice from Smyth’s other accusers. Some of those accusers said Smyth started a fake charity and others said she posed as everything from a cancer patient to Jennifer Aniston’s best friend.
Smyth, who is actually American, was found and arrested in Maine in February.
New York Post
