An upcoming documentary will expose the truth about a serial imposter whose exploits dubbed him the ‘Hollywood Scam Queen.’
Indonesian Hargobind Tahilramani is said to have masterminded a years-long hoax in which he posed as people including Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy, former Sony film boss Amy Pascal and former Paramount boss Sherry Lansing.
He was able to scam more than 300 aspiring creatives, such as actors, screenwriters and photographers – of more than 1 million dollars offering them the opportunity for a great opportunity, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Tahilramani’s alleged plan later failed and a court decided he could be extradited from the UK to the US, but there would be even more drama at the trial, which was marred by histrionics and even a fire.
Here, FEMAIL has laid bare the sordid details as Apple TV’s three-part true crime series prepares to unravel the case.
Indonesian Hargobind Tahilramani is said to have masterminded a years-long scam, swindling more than 300 aspiring creatives, including actors, screenwriters and photographers, out of more than $1 million.
He impersonated people like Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy (left) and former Sony movies chief Amy Pascal (right), according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Tahilramani is believed to have first initiated his elaborate scheme in 2013 and has been accused of wreaking havoc on the entertainment industry for the next seven years.
The serial imposter initially began by contacting his victims via email before logging in on regular calls where he would imitate the voices of senior female executives, even down to their accent, according to reports.
Having assumed their identities, it is claimed that he was able to lure his unsuspecting targets to Indonesia with the promise of career opportunities that would change their lives.
The creatives paid for their own flights but upon arrival said they were then pressured to pay overinflated prices for logistics services with the promise of a refund.
But the expenses were never reimbursed and the projects never materialized, leaving them thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Instead of securing his big break, the goals were, in fact, “being exploited in a perverse psychological game that spreads throughout the world,” according to the documentary’s synopsis.
Among those who fell victim to the scheme was New York-based screenwriter Greg Mandarano.
He is said to have been scammed out of $80,000 ($40,000 of which he paid in cash) after being approached by the scammer then posing as film producer Jean ‘Gigi’ Pritzker.
Apple TV’s three-part true crime series titled Hollywood Con Queen (pictured) is set to unravel the case.
Tahilramani is also said to have imitated the voices of other top executives, including former Paramount boss Sherry Lansing (left) and film producer Jean ‘Gigi’ Pritzker (right).
Tahilramani also offered sexual favors to Mandarano and tried to get him to send recordings of himself, according to Joel Smith, who represented the United States during the extradition hearing.
Similarly, the scammer allegedly approached freelance photographer Will Strathman as Amy Pascal under the pretext that he was directing a new travel series for Netflix.
He paid almost $50,000 in fictitious expenses during three trips in 2017.
The depth of the deception began to be revealed after an explosive revelation by The Hollywood Reporter in 2018.
He helped locate Tahilramani before he was arrested at a hotel in Manchester, England, back in 2020, following a year-long investigation by the FBI.
The United States charged the defendant with eight counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud and five counts of aggravated identity theft, and requested his extradition.
But Tahilramani, who was previously a food blogger, was detained in the UK for more than two years while he tried to fight extradition.
And the hearing was not without obstacles.
His lawyer had argued that a US prison would put him at greater risk of suicide and violence from other prisoners because of his “unique characteristics.”
This included a reference to “her homosexuality, her demonstrable femininity, her previous history of abuse which has affected her mental health, and her histrionic personality disorder.”
Tahilramani, who said he had been jailed in Jakarta for making a false bomb threat to the US embassy in Indonesia, appeared in court via video link.
Tahilramani, who said he had been jailed in Jakarta for making a false bomb threat to the US embassy in Indonesia, appeared in court via video link.
But he became increasingly agitated during a break after the judge left the courtroom.
Addressing reporters Directly on the broadcast, he said: ‘Fuck you, fuck you, you see what I’m going to do to you in the United States, I’m going to screw you.’
During the trial, Tahilramani also gathered his things and stormed out of his assigned prison room from where he could connect to the court via video link.
He said he would seek a judicial review of the sentence, which at the time had not even been pronounced.
The defendant returned five minutes later and did not address his outburst, but it was followed by another interruption.
This time it was an alarm that suddenly sounded in the courtroom as an automated message repeatedly said: ‘Attention please. Due to an emergency it is necessary to evacuate the building.’
It was later confirmed thatAnger erupted in the basement of the courthouse and 300 people were forced to flee the building.
One person was treated by an ambulance at the scene and taken to hospital.
There has been no recent update in Tahilramani’s case.
Hollywood Con Queen on Apple TV will premiere on May 8.
