An American woman who previously posed as an Irish fortune heiress is facing extradition to Northern Ireland to face charges for alleged schemes in which she is accused of duping investors out of over $150,000. She was previously convicted in a scam in Los Angeles that was detailed in the “Queen of Con” podcast.
Marianne Smyth, 54, allegedly defrauded five customers by enticing them to invest with her while she worked as a mortgage advisor in Northern Ireland from March 2008 to October 2010, British and U.S. officials said.
She is accused of scamming five people out of £135,570 ($172,000 USD), but never invested the money she claimed to, instead, she kept the sum for herself, the officials said.
An arrest warrant in Maine was signed and issued Feb. 23 for her arrest and extradition to Northern Ireland, where she is charged with four counts of fraud by abuse of position and four counts of theft.
An extradition hearing is set for April 17 in Bangor. An attorney listed for Smyth did not return a request for comment.
Smyth could face up to 10 years in prison for each of the charges, prosecutors have said in court, according to the Guardian.
Alleged Northern Ireland schemes
Smyth is accused of defrauding the five people while working as an independent mortgage adviser for An Independent Mortgage Solution Ltd.
In that role, she was supposed to “safeguard the financial interests of her clients,” a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Maine said. Instead, she stole her clients’ money, U.S. prosecutors said on behalf of British officials seeking her extradition.
Police in Northern Ireland received reports about Smyth’s fraud and theft in July 2009. But by then, she had left the U.K. and returned to the U.S., prosecutors said.
One victim, identified in court documents as J.S., told police he met Smyth in 2009 when she arranged a mortgage on his home. He said Smyth offered him the opportunity “to invest in a high interest-bearing account held with the Commonwealth…
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