LONDON: A woman accused of traveling across the U.S. claiming to be an Irish heiress and scamming several victims out of tens of thousands of dollars has been extradited to the United Kingdom, a U.S. official said Tuesday.
Marianne Smyth faces allegations that she stole more than $170,000 from the victims from 2008 to 2010 in Northern Ireland.
A U.S. magistrate judge in Maine ruled in May that there was sufficient evidence for extradition of the American, who accusers say has also fashioned herself as a witch, a psychic and a friend to Hollywood stars.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed the extradition, and referred questions to law enforcement officials in Northern Ireland. An attorney for Smyth did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
Authorities overseas have said Smyth stole money that she had promised to invest and also arranged to sell a victim a home but instead took the money. Smyth’s victims in the U.S. included Johnathan Walton, a podcaster who warned others about her grifts.
A court in Northern Ireland issued arrest warrants for her earlier this decade. She was arrested in Maine in February.
Smyth drew comparisons to Anna Sorokin, a scammer who impersonated a German heiress to pay for a glamorous lifestyle in New York City, and became subject of a Netflix series. Sorokin, whose real name is Anna Delvey, was convicted in 2019 of conning $275,000 from banks, hotels and swank New Yorkers to finance her deluxe lifestyle.
Accused scammer who claimed to be Irish heiress has been extradited to UK to face charges
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Accused scammer who claimed to be Irish heiress has been extradited to UK to face charges
- Marianne Smyth faces allegations that she stole more than $170,000 from the victims
- A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed the extradition
UK police hunt suspects after 600 items relating to the British Empire are stolen from a museum
- The Avon and Somerset Police force said the items with “significant cultural value”
- The force said it wanted to speak to four men over the theft and appealed to the public for information
LONDON: More than 600 artifacts relating to the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth have been stolen from the collection of Bristol Museum, police said Thursday as they released images of four suspects.
The Avon and Somerset Police force said the items with “significant cultural value” were taken from a storage building in the early hours of Sept. 25.
The force said it wanted to speak to four men over the theft and appealed to the public for information.
It was unclear why the appeal was being made more than two months after the crime.
“The theft of many items which carry a significant cultural value is a significant loss for the city,” said Det. Constable Dan Burgan.
“These items, many of which were donations, form part of a collection that provides insight into a multilayered part of British history, and we are hoping that members of the public can help us to bring those responsible to justice.”
The port city of Bristol, 120 miles (195 kilometers) southwest of London, played a major role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Ships based in the city transported at least half a million Africans into slavery before Britain outlawed the slave trade in 1807. Many 18th-century Bristolians helped fund the trade and shared in the profits, which also built handsome Georgian houses and buildings that still dot the city.
It was the focus of international attention and debate in 2020, when anti-racism demonstrators toppled a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston from its plinth in the city and dumped it in the River Avon.
The vandalized statue was later fished out and put on display in a museum.
