The British justice gave the green light on Tuesday to the extradition to the United States of Hargobind Tahilramani, an alleged con man nicknamed "the queen of the Hollywood scam". The man allegedly extracted hundreds of thousands of dollars from film professionals by posing as influential women in Hollywood.

Of Indonesian origin, the suspect is a virtuoso of imitating female voices and accents. He is accused of using his talents to extract more than a million dollars from more than 300 people, including actors, screenwriters and photographers, between 2013 and 2020. He was arrested in 2020 in the UK after being charged in November 2019 by a California court.


Hargobind Tahilramani is accused of conning over 300 victims, including actors, screenwriters and photographers, out of more than $1m (£800,000)https://t.co/PKu0VP7P9q

— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 6, 2023

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The promise of prestigious and high-paying jobs

Hargobind Tahilramani impersonated Kathleen Kennedy, the big boss of Lucasfilm, the former head of Sony Amy Pascal or the former CEO of Paramount studios Sherry Lansing. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch's ex-wife, Wendi, was also reportedly imitated by the suspect, who also sometimes posed as male executives.

The victims were contacted by the alleged scammer and offered prestigious and lucrative job opportunities for imaginary projects. The only condition is to go to Indonesia for scouting, documentation or preparatory work for the scenario. When they arrived, the dupes were relieved of their money at the slightest opportunity by accomplices and never saw the color again, despite promises of reimbursement by the production.

A response expected from the British government

Those who complained or expressed doubts were explicitly threatened by Hargobind Tahilramani, who intimidated them by sending them photos of their children or talking about "dismembering" them, according to the indictment. The suspect's lawyers had opposed his extradition, pointing to the conditions of detention in the United States and the potential impact on his health.

It is now up to British Home Secretary Suella Braverman to order the alleged scammer's extradition. Contacted by AFP, the Home Office said it did not want to comment on an individual case.

  • USA
  • United Kingdom
  • Fraud
  • Hollywood
  • Cinema
  • Extradition
  • Identity theft
  • World