Marianne “Mair” Smyth, an American-born 56-year-old, was found guilty of the first charge. She defrauded customers during her time as a mortgage adviser in Northern Ireland. Smyth, who was called the “Queen of the Con” by prosecutors, managed to dupe over $155,000 (£115,000) from four victims. This fraudulent scheme was carried out from 2008 to 2010. Her sentence, which was issued on September 5th, 2024 in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, resulted in a four-year prison sentence.
Smyth’s fraud was revealed following a chain of events that started in L.A. With an eye toward a career as a reality television producer, Johnathan Walton became friends with Smyth. From there, she managed to convince him that she was a rich Irish heiress caught up in a family dispute over her inheritance. Operating under this pretense, Smyth convinced Walton to pay her almost $100,000 to assist in retrieving her alleged inheritance.
Smyth has a checkered history. In 2016, she pled guilty to federal charges related to stealing more than $100,000 from a travel agency where she had once been employed. In full view of this bad history, she doubled down on her dishonest schemes. She pleaded guilty to mortgage fraud and attempted identity theft against actress Jennifer Aniston. Her intent was to defraud a television executive of millions of dollars for a fraudulent business venture that never existed.
Smyth’s criminal behavior extended beyond financial fraud. She reportedly shot and dumped over a dozen dogs that had been residing at her house under her care before fleeing Northern Ireland for Los Angeles. This was especially alarming given her history of violent and manipulative behavior, as well as her overall danger to those around her.
Law enforcement arrested Smyth on February 23, 2024, related to the outstanding charges in Northern Ireland. After her arrest, she was airlifted back to the UK by the beginning of July 2024 in order to stand trial.
“She scams or tries to scam everyone she meets, and she will never change.” – Johnathan Walton
During the trial, Walton stated his frustration with Smyth’s sentence. He thought it did not do justice to the damage that she did. He called for harsher penalties for scammers like her who take advantage of vulnerable, working-class Americans.
“This is a woman who deserves to live the rest of her days in confinement – away from the public and away from the opportunity to scam anyone ever again.” – Johnathan Walton
Mark Anderson, a representative from the prosecuting authority, stated that Smyth’s conviction should serve as a warning to others involved in similar scams.
“It should send a clear message to those involved in scamming hard-working people that they will be vigorously pursued and brought before the courts to face the consequences of their actions, no matter how long it takes.” – Mark Anderson
Through this prosecution, we were able to present a full picture of Smyth’s deceptive nature and the trail of devastation she left in her path. Walton described her as someone capable of inflicting “devastation on innocent, unsuspecting people.”