Marianne Smyth currently finds herself behind bars in a Maine jail, with a crucial hearing looming next month. This hearing will determine if she will be extradited to the United Kingdom to face charges related to a scam that unfolded over 15 years ago in Northern Ireland.
In a captivating twist of fate, Smyth, an American aged 54, stands accused of defrauding more than $170,000 from at least five individuals between 2008 and 2010 in Northern Ireland. Following the issuance of arrest warrants by a court in 2021, authorities apprehended her last month in Maine.
Smyth’s narrative bears striking resemblances to that of Anna Sorokin, a notorious grifter who was convicted in New York for funding her extravagant lifestyle by masquerading as a wealthy German heiress.
Johnathan Walton, who initiated the podcast “Queen of the Con” in 2021 to alert others about Smyth after allegedly being swindled out of nearly $100,000, describes her as a chameleon. According to Walton, Smyth adeptly altered her appearance and schemes to target each victim specifically. Despite flaunting designer attire, she claimed to need money for various reasons, including a frozen bank account and bail money, convincing Walton of a forthcoming $7 million inheritance from her affluent Irish family.
Their relationship, which blossomed over several years in Los Angeles, saw Smyth lavishing Walton with expensive dinners and luxury vacations. However, the facade began to crumble when Walton discovered her incarceration for embezzling $200,000 from a luxury travel agency where she was employed. She was later found guilty of stealing from Walton and served a brief prison sentence.
Walton, a 49-year-old reality TV producer, author, and public speaker, remarked, “She has no shame. And she has no conscience,” highlighting her delight in ensnaring countless victims into her elaborate fraud schemes.
Despite Smyth’s attorney’s silence on the matter, Smyth, from her jail cell, deferred all inquiries to her legal representative.
The podcast has since attracted tips from numerous victims stretching from California to New York. These individuals recounted tales of a bogus charity for Ukraine, and bizarre claims by Smyth of being Satan’s emissary, a witch, a hockey coach, a cancer patient, and even claiming close friendship with Jennifer Aniston. Smyth frequently altered her name and appearance, according to her victims.
Heather Sladinski, a Los Angeles-based costume designer who alleges to have lost $20,000 to Smyth’s psychic readings, fake life coaching sessions, and cult-like retreats, shared her ordeal. Smyth’s convincing act, bolstered by fake credentials and documents, eventually led Sladinski to sever ties after a peculiar ritual involving a chicken was proposed. Following a series of threatening phone calls from Smyth, Sladinski, terrified, decided to relocate. However, after connecting with Walton, Sladinski took legal action against Smyth and testified at Walton’s trial.
Tess Cacciatore, who encountered Smyth in 2016 through a business partner who had hired Smyth as a psychic, fortunately did not lose money to her. Smyth feigned being a cancer patient and dangled the prospect of a $50 million inheritance. She even went as far as to fabricate emails from Aniston and invited Cacciatore to the Golden Globe Awards, only to cancel abruptly.
As Smyth awaits her extradition hearing on April 17 at the Piscataquis County Jail in Dover-Foxcroft, her tale continues to unfold, leaving many to ponder the lives she could have touched had she chosen a different path.