Hollywood's 'scam queen' ready to be extradited to US

British justice on Tuesday gave the green light to the extradition of Hargobind Tahilramani, an alleged con man nicknamed "the queen of Hollywood scams" for extracting hundreds of thousands of dollars from film professionals by posing as influential women in Hollywood.

Of Indonesian origin, this virtuoso of imitating female voices and accents is accused of having relieved more than a million dollars more than 300 people, including actors, screenwriters and photographers, between 2013 and 2020. He was arrested in 2020 in England after he was charged in November 2019 by a California court.

A well-filled hunting board

Among the Hollywood personalities Hargobind Tahilramani impersonated are Kathleen Kennedy, the big boss of Lucasfilm (Star Wars saga), former Sony head Amy Pascal and former Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch's ex-wife, Wendi, was also reportedly imitated by the suspect, who also sometimes posed as male executives. Film professionals in different specialties were contacted by the alleged scammer and were offered prestigious and lucrative job opportunities for imaginary projects, according to the indictment. The only condition is to go to Indonesia for scouting, documentation or preparatory work for the scenario.

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Upon arrival, victims were relieved of their dollars at the slightest opportunity by accomplices who charged "transportation costs" and other prohibitive advances that were later reimbursed by production. The dupes never saw the color of their money again, and those who complained or expressed doubts were explicitly threatened by Hargobind Tahilramani, who bullied them by sending them pictures of their children or talked about "dismembering them," according to the indictment. In opposing his extradition to the United States, his lawyers argued that the conditions of detention in that country would violate human rights and highlighted the impact on his health of detention close to solitary confinement. It is now up to British Home Secretary Suella Braverman to order Hargobind Tahilramani's extradition.

Contacted by AFP, the Home Office said it did not want to comment on an individual case. The HarperCollins publishing house had bought the rights to this incredible story, written by Scott Johnson, a former journalist of the Hollywood Reporter. The book is on sale since Tuesday.