‘Justice has been served’: ‘Queen of the Con’ convicted of fraud in Northern Ireland

Marianne ‘Mair’ Smyth was found guilty of swindling four people out of more than $155,000 in Northern Ireland

A US podcaster and author who helped Northern Ireland authorities secure a fraud conviction on Thursday against a woman derisively known as the “Queen of the Con” says he hopes the case prompts the public to realize “these people are literally everywhere”.

Johnathan Walton said “it thrills me to no end” that Marianne “Mair” Smyth – who was initially convicted of scamming nearly $100,000 from him in Los Angeles by posing as the heiress to a $30m fortune – was found guilty by a Downpatrick crown court jury of swindling more than £115,000 ($155,000) from four people while working as a mortgage adviser.