Hargobind Tahilramani: ‘Con queen of Hollywood who impersonated film bosses in $1m fraud’ can be extradited to US, British judge rules
A man labelled the “con queen of Hollywood” after allegedly impersonating movie bosses during a seven-year fraud scheme can be extradited to the US, a British judge has ruled.
Hargobind Tahilramani, who was arrested in 2020 in a Manchester hotel where he claimed to be a Netflix writer, is accused of conning over 300 victims, including actors, screenwriters and photographers, out of more than $1m (£800,000).
The 43-year-old allegedly mimicked the voices of key figures, including producers working for The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan, to offer non-existent film work.
Indonesian national Tahilramani, who was detained after an FBI investigation, is said to have pretended to be American film producer Megan Ellison, her mother Barbara Boothe, and Hollywood executive Amy Pascal in phone calls, emails and text messages.
He would convince his victims to fund their own flights to Indonesia for projects that didn’t exist and once there, they would be pressured to pay for exorbitant expenses which were never paid back, it is alleged.
The US accuses the defendant of eight charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud and five counts of aggravated identity theft – which carry years behind bars if convicted.
During his extradition proceedings last year, Tahilramani said he lived a sham life because he is gay and claimed that he was a victim of a conspiracy by American prosecutors.
“At its heart, this is an old-fashioned advanced fees fraud,” Joel Smith, who represented the US, told Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring has now approved his extradition and sent the case to Home Secretary Suella Braverman for a decision.
Among the alleged victims was New York-based screenwriter Greg Mandarano who was said to have been scammed out of $80,000 (£64,400) by Tahilramani posing as film producer Jean Pritzker.
Tahilramani, pretending to be Ms Pritzker, offered sexual favours to Mr Mandarano and tried to get him to send recordings of himself, according to Mr Smith.
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Freelance photographer Will Strathman was emailed by Tahilramani posing as Amy Pascal, and was persuaded to travel to Indonesia to direct a Netflix travel series, the court heard.
He allegedly paid almost £40,000 in fictional expenses during three trips in 2017.
Los-Angeles based Dan Considine got a text message in May 2020 purportedly from Thomas Hayslip – a producer working with Inception and Tenet director Nolan.
The court heard he spoke to Tahilramani, who was posing as another producer, “Dana Walden”, who persuaded Mr Considine to send audition tapes and pay about $7,000 (£5,600) for martial arts training videos, in an attempt to land a role in a Nolan movie.
“Mr Considine never received any videos and the audition was a sham,” said Mr Smith.
Giving evidence, Tahilramani said he was born in Jakarta, the son of “one of the most renowned producers in Indonesia”, grew up in the US and has spent time in Singapore.
“I’m an interesting person,” Tahilramani said. “They want to make films out of me, they want to make television.”
He claimed he should not be extradited because a large amount of the alleged conduct happened while he was in the UK and would not be in the interests of justice.
Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”
He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.
O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.
“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Donald Trump secured a second term. Pic: AP
O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.
She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.
O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.
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Will Trump address parliament on UK state visit?
This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.
But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.
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Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.
“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.
“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.”
A farmer who fell from a greenhouse roof during an anti-immigrant raid at a licensed cannabis facility in California this week has died of his injuries.
Jaime Alanis, 57, is the first person to die as a result of Donald Trump’s Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) raids.
His niece, Yesenia Duran, posted on the fundraising site GoFundMe to say her uncle was his family’s only provider and he had been sending his earnings back to his wife and daughter in Mexico.
The United Food Workers said Mr Alanis had worked on the farm for 10 years.
“These violent and cruel federal actions terrorise American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,” the union said in a recent statement on X.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it executed criminal search warrants at Glass House Farms facilities on Thursday.
Mr Alanis called family to say he was hiding and possibly fleeing agents before he fell around 30ft (9m) from the roof and broke his neck, according to information from family, hospital and government sources.
Agents arrested 200 people suspected of being in the country illegally and identified at least 10 immigrant children on the sites, the DHS said in a statement.
Mr Alanis was not among them, the agency said.
“This man was not in and has not been in CBP (Customs and Border Protection) or ICE custody,” DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said.
“Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a greenhouse and fell 30ft. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.”
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Four US citizens were arrested during the incident for allegedly “assaulting or resisting officers”, the DHS said, and authorities were offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person suspected of firing a gun at federal agents.
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In a statement, Glass House, a licensed Cannabis grower, said immigration agents had valid warrants. It said workers were detained and it is helping provide them with legal representation.
“Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors,” it added.
Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”
He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.
O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.
“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Donald Trump secured a second term. Pic: AP
O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.
She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.
O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Will Trump address parliament on UK state visit?
This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.
But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.
Read more from Sky News:
Kate’s ’emotional’ words for tearful tennis star
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Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.
“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.
“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.”
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